Both logic and science suggest that eating foods that contain fat will make you fatter. While in some cases this is true, consuming certain fatty foods actually has more benefits than you might think.
Improved By Fat
As fat is one of three essential macronutrient, it’s as important to our health as protein and carbs.
You’ve probably read somewhere that saturated fat – like the one in meat – is always bad for you, but even this kind of fat has its role in improving your health.
For example, fats play a crucial part in our heart health. Consuming saturated fat lowers the levels of lipoprotein in the body, which in turn lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Next up is bone health. Consuming calcium in the goal of having stronger bones means little if there isn’t any fat to help it get absorbed. The same rule applies to vitamins E, D, K, and A, which rely greatly on fat for transportation and absorption.
Your lungs need fat to function properly, too. The tiny airspaces of the lungs need a coating of lung surfactant, which is mostly comprised of saturated fatty acids.
Finally, there’s the brain. This organ’s primary structure consists of fat and cholesterol, which means the more healthy saturated fats you consume the closer you are to your brain’s optimum capacity.
Now that you know all of this, nothing is stopping you from adding saturated fats to your diet in the form of seeds, nuts, avocados, olive and coconut oil, and fish.
