Healthy Eating: The skinny on fats


Healthy Eating: The skinny on fats.

Good information about fats. I have read recently all about Coconut Oil and how great it is for you. I’m waiting on my order to come in to try it and I will definitely let you know!

Of the three macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) fats are generally cast as the villain of the group – often attributed with weight gain and an endless list of health problems. We know protein builds, maintains and repairs our cells and that carbs give us energy. However, most people remain in the dark about the many vital functions fat plays in our bodies. Instead it is often viewed as the macronutrient to avoid at all costs – with low fat diets and foods popping up everywhere in recent years.

A common misconception is that fat makes you fat! While it can contribute to weight gain, obesity is much more complicated than just eating too much of a single nutrient. It is true that a fat has 9 calories per gram (almost double the 4 calories per gram in protein and carbohydrates); however eating excess calories, from any source, can cause weight gain.

So now that we covered that common misconception, let’s move on to the next – that a fat is a fat. Again not exactly true. Not all fats are created equal. Some are good, some are bad and some are just plain wrong. So here is a rundown on the different types of fats and where to find them.


One response to “Healthy Eating: The skinny on fats”

  1. ok, I’m really behind on my blog-reading, but I wanted to comment on this one 🙂

    When I flirted with Paleo for all of 10 days (I felt great, need to get back to business!) I did go out and buy a jar of coconut oil…I cooked with it, no problem, and even began using it as a moisturizer…I have bad acne on my chin, and there is something in the coconut oil that acts as a antibacterial/antiseptic (I”m too lazy to google which one) that I read works really well to help combat acne. I used it as my moisturizer for probably a month, with no real acne issues, it just didn’t have enough “oomph” in it to keep the rest of my face from feeling too dry, and not having spf in it kind of freaked me out.

    Coconut oil is good stuff…I hope you enjoy it. The brand I got didn’t have any sort of flavor to it, I would have enjoyed it more if it tasted coconutty! 🙂