The Healthy Temple

Eating some fat is necessary. It is an important source of concentrated energy - it has more than twice as many calories per ounce as sugar, starch or protein. Fats help carry fat- soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. In addition, a specific type of fat found in plants is essential for proper functioning of our bodies. Fats can also make food taste better, aid in cooking, and help keep the hunger pangs away. The total amount of fat you eat, whether high or low, isn’t really linked with disease. What really matters is the type of fat you eat.
Low-fat, low-cholesterol diets can be very unhealthy, especially for women. Why? Because all our major hormones are made from cholesterol: estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, DHEA, and testosterone. If we don’t eat enough, our bodies divert cholesterol from our endocrine system to use for brain function and repair. When that happens, it’s almost impossible for our bodies to maintain hormonal balance.
Saturated fats are nearly always from animal foods. Meat, eggs and dairy products all contain saturated fats. Lard and suet are saturated fats. Coconut oil and palm oil are vegetable sources of saturated fats. Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fats are usually from plant sources.
The ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fats in the diet is often called the P:S ratio.
Cholesterol is present in all animal foods but not plant foods. Egg yolks and high-fat dairy products are high in cholesterol.
• Use margarine and spreads made from these oils instead of butter. (If a food lists a hydrogenated oil as the first or second ingredient, it is still high in saturated fat.)
• Use liquid vegetable oils in cooking.
• Use vegetable oil spray to coat cooking pans.

Just as importantly, low-cholesterol, low-fat diets do not in and of themselves lead to weight loss. Portion control and the elimination of sweets in those diets are very helpful. But taking out fats and cholesterol starves the body of the nutrients it really needs. Your body goes into famine mode, slowing down or even damaging its metabolism, and converting every calorie it can find into fat.