Does eating fat make you fat?

Confused about fat???? So was I. I mean which ones are good fat and which ones are bad fat? How much fat is good? Or is no fat at all better????? If you're like me, you believe less or zero fat equals healthier food. I bought low fat everything from milk to meat to mayonnaise to peanut butter. But for some reason my weight did not drop because unbeknown to me most times "fat free" is another way of saying "sugar galore". New studies now show dietary fat is not the big bad wolf we've all been made to believe it is and excluding it from out diet could be doing more harm than good. Here's answers to some questions you might have about fat.

1) Will Eating fat will make me fat?

If you're trying to lose weight, shunning fat from your diet is NOT the best approach. If you cut fat from your diet you will most probably opt for more carbohydrates and fat free foods which inadvertently means increased sugar. tried this once and at the time I couldn’t understand why my waistline kept expanding, well now I do. Also fat is very filling so including it in your meals means you eat less food overall. And you need fat to burn fat because fat helps to boost metabolism.

2) Does fat free mean healthier?

Like I said earlier sometimes “fat free” is another name for “sugar galore”. A "low fat" or “fat free” option does not always mean healthier, in fact, it can actually mean the opposite. The simple fact is that fat makes food taste good and gives it texture, means that if you remove it from a food you have to replace it with something else. Most manufacturers tend to opt for sugar, artificial sweeteners, thickeners and flavourings to improve taste.

3)  Should I avoid all saturated fat????

 We’ve all heard the saying saturated fats are "bad" and should be avoided. The terms "good" and "bad" fat is very common, but I believe it oversimplifies things.  Saturated fats are bad but not all them are. They can be divided into 2 groups the bad, avoid-at-all-cost group and the good group. Current advice is that good saturated fats I.e fats in their natural form in meat, eggs, butter, cheese and coconut oil can be consumed in moderation. The bad saturated aka "trans fats" aka hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats are heat and industrially created in deep-fried foods and many processed foods, bakery products and margarines and should be avoided because they have no nutritional value whatsoever. These heat-modified and industrially-modified fats have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes and other chronic diseases.

4) Will eating a fatty diet cause bad skin?

Whenever I get a spot on my face I catch myself taking a mental stock of the things I ate a few days before that could be the cause of my new facial decoration. Whilst it is true that eating fat could cause bad skin, not all fat causes skin problems, in fact quite a few types are relevant to maintain healthy glowing skin. Omega 3 fats for instance, found in oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout), nuts and seeds support the oil-producing glands in the skin, helping to keep it moisturised from the inside out. These fats are also anti-inflammatory in the body, and can help to visibly reduce

inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis. The fats found in avocados and olive oil also help to keep the skin soft and supple by retaining water levels and hydrating the skin. For problematic skin the fats to avoid are (again!) the processed trans fats, which are pro-inflammatory, along with sugar.

5) Is eating a low fat diet better for overall health?

Fat plays a crucial role in the health of our entire body. It provides us with a good source of energy, and is an essential building block for every single cell in the body. Eating fat is also vital for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K; we can't use these vitamins without it. We need fat to produce essential hormones, and to help our brain and heart function efficiently.

A diet rich in natural fat is not just beneficial... it's essential for good health.