By Fats have always been associated with calories. Dietary fats play a vital role in your health and they should be included in your diet but within the recommended limit. Fats are high-energy foods that provide 9 kcal of energy per gram of fat in contrast to carbohydrates or proteins that provide only 4 kcal of energy.
Proteins are largely spared from being used by the body to supply energy, as long as the fat is present. Besides supplying energy, fats serve as a mode of transport for the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Fats support vital organs of the body like the heart, kidneys, and the intestine. Fat is present underneath the skin which acts as an insulator against cold. But above all, the food becomes more palatable with the use of fat.
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Fats are linked with weight gain and obesity. The US dietary guidelines restricted the intake of fats in the diet to not more than 30 % of the total calorie intake for both adults and children. The reason was to prevent them from becoming obese, and possible heart and other diseases. But it was seen that children having low fat and low cholesterol diet failed to grow properly and on the contrary, they became more prone to heart diseases. Children need a high amount of fat in their diet throughout for their proper growth and development of muscles, bones, and the brain.
Diets rich in EFAs reduce the chance of heart disease. Animal fats help to provide vitamin D and A and omega fatty acids that are required for the assimilation of protein, development of immunity to fight against infections, development of brain and vision, also the development of sexual functions and fertility is influenced by fat.
Eat Fiber block Fat
Fiber is the indigestible portion of all plants; it’s found in their cell walls and fiber provides the structural support to the plant. Dietary fiber comes from plant foods like grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Animal products do not contain this dietary fiber. Most fiber-rich foods are found to contain soluble and insoluble forms of fiber. Fibers, mainly soluble fibers are medically potent as cholesterol reducers and help regulate blood sugar. While the insoluble forms of fiber are potent laxatives.
According to health experts’ diets consisting of more fiber help weight loss. The reasons fibrous foods fight against fat are,
• Fiber controls the intake of sugar and fat
• Fiber helps to regulate the level of blood sugar
• Fiber has a fat-binding property
Most dietary fibers have zero calories in them. They have low sugar and fat content. So, when you fill your stomach with fiber-rich foods, there will be less space for fatty foods. As a high fiber diet requires longer for food breakdown you do not feel hungry. The fibers bind to the fat you eat and help to remove them from your body before they are stored in your body as fat.
Fewer Nutrients are absorbed from the food into your bloodstream as fiber slows down the production of insulin after a meal. Cholesterol is produced in our body by the liver. Food also provides a smaller portion of it. But as fat is blocked in the intestine by the fiber, most of the cholesterol does not get absorbed. Even the fat-soluble vitamins are blocked by the fiber along with the fat.
