Did you know that a lack of fat can cause as many health problems as a lack of any other nutrient? Every cell needs it and the brain and nerves need an extra supply. Good bacteria must live in the intestines for us to be healthy (the average person has about three pounds – yes, pounds – of bacteria in there) and they need fat in order to multiply.
Imagine a charm bracelet. Fat – really “fatty acids”- are like those bracelets and the unfilled links are ready to connect with other nutrients to transport them and combine with them to help build cell structures. At least that is what unsaturated fatty acids are like. There are many of them and they are essential for life.
If oxygen is added to fatty acids, they become rancid, basically rotten. If you eat rancid fat, it can destroy E, A, K, and several B vitamins.
If hydrogen is added to fatty acids, the hydrogen “links” itself onto the “charm bracelet” so nothing else can. It becomes calories only – any life-giving properties are gone. This is why fats are hydrogenated! See, if it can’t support life, it can’t become rancid or rotten from bacteria or bugs. It lasts forever on the shelf!
But eating the right unsaturated fats are important. Eczema can be one symptom of a lack of good fat. One author believes that infants may develop eczema as a result of their mother’s low-fat diets during pregnancy. The cure? Just some good vegetable oil will do. Safflower is especially high in linoleic acid. It is so important that it is an “essential” fatty acid. Surprisingly, olive oil has none of this particular fatty acid.
So, besides general good health, getting enough fatty acids can actually help you lose weight. How? Edema disappeared in many people when good oils were added to their diet. Eat some good oil and you lose the water weight. Secondly, if you don’t have enough fatty acids, your body goes into hyper-mode to change sugar into fat when you eat something sweet. It quickly pulls the sugar out of the blood, making your blood sugar drop, causing you to feel like you are starving, so you eat more. Third, good fats are the most satisfying of all foods. Eat a few calories of good fat and you can wave away the sweets. You really won’t want them. Some good sources? Nuts, unhydrogenated nut butters, and salad oils. So, go eat some fat and loose some weight!