What Your Body Needs: Fat

Yep. You heard me. You need fat. Your body must have water, carbs, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals in order to maintain full functionality of muscle, tissues, blood and bones.

What is bad fat? You know it: butter, and heated oils such as fryer fat. Beef is 70 % fat; a marbled steak is 82%. Chicken is 40-50 percent fat. Cow's milk is 55% and cheese between 70-90% fat. Eggs are 65%.

What is good fat? Extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, fish oil, salmon, avocados, grains, seeds, nuts and the oils derived from grains, seeds and nuts such as flaxseed oil. A potato has 1% fat, rice is 5% and fruits range from 2-10%.

Good fat is imperative to a fully operating body. Good fat allows the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K. These are fat soluble vitamins that cannot be used by the body without fat. Fat is vital to hormone production and the resultant growth and health of cells.

Fat makes you feel full after a meal. Good fats pair well with protein because the fats speed the energy-depleting proteins through the digestive process and through the gut.

I have heard women avoid avocados due to their "high fat content". How absurd. First of all, avocados are rich in monounsaturated fat which lowers blood cholesterol levels in the body. Avocados contain Vitamins C and E, iron, potassium and manganese. This good-fat product brings health, energy, fiber and vital vitamins to your body which your system uses to, among other things, reward you with soft skin and shiny hair.

"Essential fats are those which must be obtained
through diet because the body does not produce them. The primary source of
these essential fats is plants. They also come from meat, but meat is only
a secondary source. The animal from which the meat (or meat and dairy
products) is obtained has the essential fats because it ate plants containing
them. People could choose to bypass the animal altogether and go directly
to fat sources in the form of vegetables, grains, and legumes to fulfill the
essential fat requirements. If you choose to eat the meat, however, you
are getting a highly saturated fat that is far rougher on the cardiovascular
system than are the polyunsaturated plant fats."
Get Healthy Now!
Gary Null

The trick is not to avoid fat but to eat healthy fats. They are satiating and serve as fabulous condiments to your whole food regime. Throw away the butter, meat, cheese and milk. Stock up on olive oil, avocados, and raw nuts. Buy a piece of salmon. Season it with sea salt and olive oil. Lightly saute 5 veggies: organic onions, organic kale (deveined), organic red peppers, organic carrots and garlic. Serve all over steamed brown rice. What you don't serve here is just as important as what you serve: no salt, no flour, no butter, no ketchup, no tartar sauce, no wine, no iced tea. Just a meal, ingested as God intended: to feed your body.

Guacamole

1 large ripe avocado

sea salt

1 lime

Mash the avocado. Add the juice of 1/2 the lime. Add sea salt to taste, perhaps a little too much. Enjoy with cucumber slices as chips. Voila! A whole food meal.