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Fats For Your Brain
It is said that the brain is 40-60 % fat. So when we take fats out of our diet, our brain along with other parts of our body suffers. What we need to do is change the bad fats that we eat to good fats. Good fats nourish our body and keep us young and healthy. Good fats consist of: flax oil, extra virgin olive oil, salmon oil, fish oils, primrose oil, hemp oil and their combinations. Also eating raw nuts, seeds and avocadoes will provide good fats in the diet; the body cannot make them, they must be consumed.
Firstly, the good fats (efa’s) are a part of the structure of the cell membrane. They help form the barrier against viruses, bacteria and other foreign substances. This barrier also keeps important items in the cell, such as: genetic materials, proteins, enzymes and the cell organelles. What goes in and what goes out of each cell is also regulated by the cell membrane. It is said the health of the body is dependant on the health of its cells.
These efa’s are also precursors of things like DHA, which is needed by the brain, as well as the adrenals and eyes. These good fats are used for energy production, oxygen use and electron transport, all of these of course are important to healthy brain function. Basically, without proper fats in the diet, our brain will suffer.
Mental health is so important. Without good fats in the diet, the prostaglandins that regulate the neurotransmitters (the chemicals that transmit information from nerve cell to nerve cell) cannot be made. Mental illness can set in, conditions such as: Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Senility and other undiagnosed conditions, irritability, PMS, anger, etc. Essential Fatty Acids have a calming affect on the nerves and the body; hyperactive children are usually benefited by efa’s. Depression and aging are also helped by efa supplementation.
To get more good fats in your diet, eat fish, raw nuts, seeds, avocadoes, green leafy vegetables and cold pressed oils: flax, hemp and their combinations. Never cook with these good fats, frying should be done with butter or coconut oil.
Remember its not how much fat you consume, it’s the type of that counts.
Good Fats,
Why They Help With Weight Loss?
We have been constantly told that fats are bad for us, especially if we want to lose weight; this is only true if we are consuming the “bad fats”. When we take in the “good fats”, Omega 3’s and 6’s, it helps the body actually lose the bad fat. Other than bad fats, the sugars and white flours products we eat are the foods that cause us to put on the weight. Studies show the more we have cut fat out of our diet, the fatter we have become!
So how do the good fats (EFA’s) help us to lose our body fat? First, when we consume these healthy fats, our body is nourished and we will crave and eat less and less of these bad fats. When we eat less of the junk fats; we begin to lose weight. When we crave fried fats, our body is crying out for more fat, but we cannot distinguish between good and bad fats, so usually we reach for the French fries and potato chips. Our brain alone is made up of 40% or more of good fats. The more we eat the bad fats, the more the good fat deficiency grows
Having some fat on your body provides fuel for times of stress and hard work. It keeps us warm, insulates our organs from injury, nourishes the brain, gives our skin and hair that healthy glow, keeps our blood sugar stable, insulates the nerves and cushions our joints, back and neck.
Our diet should consist of 12-15 % Omega 3’s and 6’s. Athletes that consumed EFA’s in their diet found increased energy, more strength, endurance, flexibility and faster recovery from fatigue. Enough good fats in the body, helps to calms the nerves and muscles and to keep the body limber, therefore more able to withstand injury.
Efa’s help the kidneys eliminate excess water, helping with water retention. They also increase the rate of metabolic reactions, which in turn helps to burn off “brown” (stored) fat.
All good fats containing Omega 3’s and 6 are good for weight loss, Flax, Primrose, Salmon, Hemp, Borage and their mixtures. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has been specifically studied and marketed for weight loss. It is derived from Sunflower Oil. When combined with exercise and a healthy diet, CLA has been shown to increase lean muscle mass, while reducing body fat.
So do not be scared of fat; it is a very important part of our diet. Just make sure you choose the right fats and cut back on the wrong fats. If you start now you will gradually begin to see a change in what you choose to eat and how you feel. ow letters, that works well on almost every site.