Saturated Fats and the Holiday Season...

Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings! Hope you have had a good and healthy Christmas day! We know that Christmas faire is not usually good and healthy! Well, it may be good…but not always healthy! All those sugar plums don’t only dance in our heads. They usually hang out somewhere around our middle and backsides! And now, as the Christmas celebration is winding down, we are looking forward into the new year…2009!

So today, we need to talk shop with you. We need to talk about some misconceptions; some stinking thinking concerning our dieting beliefs. And we really need to get this off our gut and out into the open...as most people are wrong in their way of thinking. They think that all fat is bad!Though a lot of the fat out there really is bad for you, there are also some good types of fat. Fat that it is OK for you to eat!Think about it. Everyone has fat on them, however there is a certain amount of safe fat, and then there is excess fat. We need a certain percentage of fat to be healthy. One thing that you should know though, is that over 100 million Americans alone have "too much" fat. This is because they are eating the naughty fats, not the good ones.We are going to get a little technical on you here, so hold tight...

"Fat droplets" inside most of our body's cells regulate excess proteins in our bodies. Even if too much fat has negative effects on our body and health, it seems that a certain amount of fat is necessary for preserving the function of cells. "Fat droplets" are microscopical fat spots present in almost all the cells in the body, and they play the role of warehouses or storage depots for a certain type of protein used by molecules to bind DNA. Besides storing the particular histone proteins needed by cells to bind and organize DNA in the nucleus, the "fat droplets" also serve as deposits for other proteins found in excessive amounts within our bodies. If these proteins were not gathered and stored somewhere in the body, they would become harmful for our health.

So, it is good to have fat. We need certain fats for our bodies to function properly! But what are the good fats and what are the bad fats?

***Good Fats = Polyunsaturated/Monounsaturated Fats
Example: fish oil, sunflower oil, Omega 3, nuts, olive oil, avocado

***Bad Fats = Saturated/Trans Fats
Example: Coconut oil, palm oil, meat, cheese, eggs, margarine, French fries, Cheetos

These are the basics of it. Having some fat in your diet is good, and ideally you want to make those fats good fats. Eating a bag of chips is NOT a good way to get your fat. Colene says, “I hate to admit it but back in 1974 I actually put on 100 pounds by being on the “hot dog diet” and then cheating on it by eating Fried Cheetos and chocolate milk!” Not only are you putting the wrong type of fat in your body, chips are very bad for you and usually contain too much sodium (another culprit)! After only one month of this way of “dieting” Colene passed out one day as she was working in her beauty salon. Not good for Colene or her business! Be careful of how you diet! The wrong way of dieting can be as unhealthy as a brick of Saturated fats!

We do have some good news for you. Any fat that you have accumulated over time can be removed, over time...as much or as little as you like.

Fat does weigh less than muscle, but the bad thing about fat is that it doesn't help burn calories (it always lies around right where you don‘t want it), whereas muscle does. Therefore, you are better off weighing more by having more muscles, not fat, as your metabolism will burn much more calories in the long run if you have a higher muscle mass. So, having the right type of fat in your diet is OK, but having over a certain amount of fat ON your body can be VERY unhealthy.

Our bodies store up the fat for future use, when you burn less calories than you take in, so the goal is to burn more calories than you eat everyday. This means take action! Right now! Get a head start on the NEW YEAR DIET RESOLUTION RUSH! Watch out for taking in too much fat and start that exercise program now!

My doctor has given me a prescription to go to a physical therapy center so that I can get in the pool or hot tub to work out. By doing this weekly exercise I will not be putting pressure on my already aching knees and hips! Ahhh, a hot tub in the middle of the chilly cold winter….what a GREAT idea!