In the 1980s, new dietary recommendations came out imploring everyone to adopt low-fat diets. Recently researchers said the idea to adopt a low-fat diet only was not applicable for all people, especially those are not obese or in a risk of heart diseases. Dr Michael Alderman, a researcher on this issue said low-fat diets might have helped spur the national rise in obesity and diabetes.
We now know that fats are necessary for health. Fat is critical for the optimum functioning of the brain, the heart, the skin and other major organs, as well as for the absorption of many vitamins.
They are also good for dieting. Fat digestion suppresses ghrelin, the hormone that makes us feel hungry, while simultaneously spurring the release of peptides that make us feel full, found a study published in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2005. A moderate amount of fat can also lower the glycemic index of a meal, helping you feel satisfied for longer.
It’s impractical and unnecessary to avoid saturated fats, but we should instead include a variety of fats in our daily diets, adding that dietary fats shouldn’t be considered in isolation because when they work together they may actually be doing far more good than bad.
These days, so much of the food packaging in the supermarkets screams at us from the shelves that it’s “low-fat” or “99% fat-free” – but don’t be fooled into thinking this means it’s better for you. Research has found that some low-fat foods contain the same number of calories.
Low-fat diets lack satiety and may reduce good (HDL) cholesterol, counteracting any benefits of reduced bad (LDL) cholesterol.
Low-fat diets may also reduce the absorption of fat-soluble essential nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as of [the powerful antioxidants] carotenoids such as lycopene and carotenes that protect the body against free radical damage.
