The Facts on Fats

In the UK alone, between November 2020-2021, around 25.3% of adults above 18 were obese.

That’s a lot!

But, this is only a small indicator of what you could be weight-wise. The truth is that many adults may be borderline obese or cause significant damage to their health. After all, what you put in your mouth can significantly impact your life!

To know more about this, you must consider the type of fats, foods and their background to keep you healthy.

Different kind of fats found in our body/foods

To really know what helps keep your body in check, we must review a vital topic, fats. Basically, these are molecules made up in your body which are known as triglycerides. Some of these fats are produced by your body, and others are natural, ones your body can’t produce.

The latter are found in foods and are named “essential fats”. Typically the essential fats contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 found in fish, flax seed, nuts, corn oil and seeds. Alongside this, there are different types of fats, such as the following:

Saturated fats

These fats are typically found in animal-based foods such as poultry, dairy products, pork, beef, eggs and tropical oils. You may find these called solid fats stored at a consistent room temperature. Consuming too much of these fats can pose a bit of a risk to your health by increasing cholesterol and chances of heart disease.

Transfats

Transfats are a type of unsaturated fat found in artificial and natural forms. Usually, you can find these fats in meat and dairy from animals such as cattle, goats and sheep. They occur naturally in the bacteria of the stomach of these animals when they digest grass.

Monounsaturated fats

These fats stay liquid at room temperature but then turn into solid form as soon as they’re chilled. When they have a single, double bond, they’re called monosaturated fats. They’re seen as a healthier fat and are recommended to be consumed in moderation.

Polyunsaturated fats

When fats contain more than one double bond, they’re classed as polyunsaturated fats. Again they are classed as healthy fats and are typically found in walnuts, fish, flax seeds, canola oil, sunflower, soybean, flaxseed oils and more.

Beneficial vs non-beneficial fats

To really know what the best fats are to put into your body, we must look at beneficial vs non-beneficial fats.

Beneficial fats

First up, beneficial fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats are best consumed in moderation and are a great replacement for saturated or trans fats. When eaten, they can reduce your cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease. Alongside this, they’re known for the following benefits:

May aid weight loss: There’s research which shows that when you have the same diet and consume more monounsaturated fats, you may achieve weight loss just like you would using low fats.

Could help reduce cancer risk: Growing evidence also suggests that these fats may help lower your cancer risk. However, there still needs to be enough research to support this. One example that supports this is that women in Spain who consume olive oil in their diet show a lower risk of breast cancer.

Might reduce inflammation: Compared to other diets, ones that contain good fats can help reduce inflammation levels in your body. This is especially the case with Mediterranean diets, people with high MUFAs that cause lower inflammatory levels helping achieve weight loss.

Non beneficial fats:

Non beneficial fats are known as trans fats; if you consume too much of these, they can put you at risk of the following:

• Increased risk of diabetes: These foods can easily trigger your body to gain weight, putting you at risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Lower HDL (good cholesterol)
• Raise LDL (bad cholesterol)
• Increased risk of stroke and heart disease: Too many trans fats can increase the amount of cholesterol occurring in your arteries, increasing the chances of stroke and heart disease.

Function of metabolism and how to increase (if even possible)

To know fully how your body breaks down fats and helps you achieve weight loss, it’s important to know the metabolism’s role. Your metabolism is important as it helps with all the chemical reactions in your body’s cells and organisms. It has close links to your nutrition and works with oxygen to help convert food into energy. To speed up your metabolism process, you might want to try:

• Drink a lot more water
• Stand up frequently
• Eat a lot of protein
• Undergo high intensity workout
• Drink green tea
• Eat spicy foods

Best types of exercises for weight loss

In addition to watching your food intake, you also can undergo some exercises to help support weight loss, such as:

• Walking
• Running
• Cycling
• Weight training
• Interval training
• Swimming
• Yoga

Foods that actually burn fat/low & negative calorie foods

If you want to lose weight, some foods can help kickstart your metabolism, which are:

Eggs: Full of nutrition, are known to reduce hunger cravings and full of nutrition.
Chilli peppers: These are packed with powerful antioxidants which help reduce inflammation.
Greek yoghurt: High in potassium, calcium and protein, making you feel less hungry.
Fatty fish: It’s full of omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower the risk of heart disease and fatty acids.

Supplements to help support weight loss

Another way to help support your weight loss is that you can take supplements to kickstart the process. Some supplements you might want to consider are:

5-HTP 8:1 Extract
This supplement is a naturally occurring amino acid, which helps you have a more deep and restful sleep and mood. As a result, once you have a better sleep, you’re less likely to indulge in food due to a smaller hormone ghrelin being produced.

Organic Turmeric, Ginger & Black Pepper Extract
This supplement is known for its bright orange hue, helps aid your digestion, and joint health and assists with your appetite. The black pepper helps aid the absorption of food in the digestive tract.

Rhodiola Rosea Extract
Rhodiola is a medicinal herb that helps supports both the mind and body. When taking this supplement, helps support fatigue and allows you to rest for longer without suffering from burnout.

Final thoughts

Overall, different types of fats exist in foods and your body. The best way to deal with fats is to consume them in moderation. If you consume too many trans fats, you can be putting yourself at risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, weight gain and more.

To help you manage your fat intake and stop you from putting yourself at risk for these conditions, you might want to eat certain foods like eggs, fatty fish, drink coffee and more to speed up your metabolism. Similarly, you might want to try certain exercises or implement supplements into your diet to support your health. If you’re interested in supplements, you should try out our vegetarian range, which is vegan and free from artificial colours.