Safe Weight Loss and Fat

Safe weight loss and fat is an important combination, can be mentioned in the same sentence and yes, fat is healthy for you. Surprisingly, fats are an essential part of a safe weight loss program and contribute to health. Contrary to some beliefs, fat does not immediately transform itself to an oversized belly or hips. Of course, overeating fat does cause weight gain but combining proper fats and eating the “right” fats will contribute to a healthy diet and can assist you in your quest for safe weight loss. Yes, weight loss!

The Benefits of Essential Fatty Acids
To achieve safe weight loss, it is important to understand dietary fats and how they work in your body. There are benefits to eating dietary fats, especially those known as essential fatty acids. Dietary fats are those fats that you eat or ingest. Essential fatty acids or EFA’s are fats not found in the body. That is, essential fatty acids cannot be manufactured by the body. Therefore, they must be ingested. Essential fatty acids are also needed by the body for crucial weight loss and metabolism processes. The following list offers fat facts and ways in which fat contributes to safe weight loss and good physical health:

• fat is needed in order for the body to manufacture hormones, i.e., thyroid gland, regulate menopause, provide energy for sex, and contribute to muscle mass;
• insulin production depends on a proper balance of fats;
• fat is required in order for the body to produce red blood cells;
• fat lubricates bodily joints;
• essential fatty acids regulate the transport of oxygen;
• essential fatty acids assist in the formation of cells, especially those in the nervous system;
• essential fatty acids or EFA’s increase the metabolic rate;
• essential fatty acids improve skin and hair;
• essential fatty acids reduce high blood pressure;
• essential fatty acids reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels;
• some essential fatty acids become prostaglandins which are crucial factors in insulin production and indirectly assist the body in burning fat.
• Prostaglandins, derived from essential fatty acids, can act as an anti-depressant;
• Prostaglandins, derived from essential fatty acids, prevent allergies;
• Prostaglandins, derived from essential fatty acids, aid the immune system;
• Prostaglandins, derived from essential fatty acids, reduce joint inflammation;
• Prostaglandins, derived from essential fatty acids, assist in transporting cholesterol through the body.

As is becoming evident, essential fatty acids or EFA’s assist the body in safe weight loss and actually help to reduce fat stores.

And in case you’re wondering, body fat is fat that your body stores in its adipose tissue.

There are Two Types of Essential Fatty Acids
The two types of essential fatty acids: Omega-3 and Omega-6.
Omega-3’s offer tremendous safe weight loss and health benefits by speeding up the body’s fat burning processes. Omega-3’s can be found in deep water fish as well as flaxseed and walnut oil.

Omega-6’s are found in raw nuts, legumes and seeds and in some oils. Omega-6, together with Omega-3’s, are crucial to brain function as well as normal growth, development, safe weight loss and good health.

What’s the Deal About Cholesterol?
Too much cholesterol is not healthy. However, too little cholesterol is not healthy, either. Dietary cholesterol is not the same as blood cholesterol. What’s interesting about high blood cholesterol levels is that you’ve already been given the recipe to avoid it. The dietary foods that cause high blood cholesterol levels are the same foods that raise triglyceride levels. Remember what happens when you ingest high triglyceride foods? Your body overproduces insulin which causes your body to store fat.

Here’s a good weight loss tip: if you have high blood cholesterol levels, you would most likely be advised to guard your intake of starches and other high glycemic foods, alcohol and dietary fat. Remember that safe weight loss and carbohydrates go hand in hand. You would be advised to exercise (more), as well.