Did you say I was fat?!

Hello all,

While doing some studying in my nutrition text book the other day I came across some info that you may or may not know.  Here are the meanings of some terms that I'm sure you're familiar with, but may not know the particulars about, unless you've done the research, or are into the science of things.  So, the first term I'd like to tell you about is hydrogenation - this is the adding of hydrogen to an unsaturated fatty acid to make it more saturated and solid at room temperature.  Hydrogenation turns the reconfigured fatty acid into a transfatty acid which is not good for you.  The transfatty acids raise your LDL cholesterol (the bad one) and lowers the HDL cholesterol (the good one) and increases your risk for heart disease.  Transfats are used in processed foods to provide a richer texture, longer shelf life and better resistance to rancidity.  Crisco was the first that most of you may be familiar with.    The main source today of transfat in your diet would come from commercially prepared baked items, margarine, fried potatoes, snacks and salad dressing.

This is just one of the many reasons why I tell people to read the labels and whenever possible to make your foods from scratch.  I know this is time consuming for those of you who don't really like to cook, or who don't plan their time well enough to be able to cook.

I bet you didn't know that your body makes cholesterol on its own.  That's right each and every one of us makes cholesterol in our bodies and it is the precursor of the sex hormones - testosterone and estrogen. 

Now, back to the fat comment.  Some people try to avoid fat at all costs.  But your body needs some fat for insulation of your body and organs; if for some reason your body went into starvation mode, the first thing your body would use for energy is fat.  It has a place, the problem is that some people consume way too much fat, and lead sedentary lifestyles.  Not only that, but the type of fat people eat plays a role in someone's being overweight or obese.  There is saturated fat, and unsaturated fat, to name two.   Foods that contain saturated fatty acids, or saturated fats are unhealthy for you, the saturation comes from hydrogen bonds "saturating" the fatty acid chain, meaning they are tight and this makes the fat solid.  Unsaturated fats, or unsaturated fatty acids have double hydrogen bonds that cause kinks, keeping them from packing together tightly and therefore making them liquid, like oil for instance. 

Hope you find this information helpful


Take care and have a great day!

Jeri