Following a fat-free diet? Stop right away. The first thing most people do after going on a diet is cut out fats from their diet.
Eliminating fats from the diet seems pretty normal to people as it has always been fed to us that fats are bad for health and can cause weight gain.
This is why people take a while to wrap their heads around the fact that fats can actually aid the weight-loss process.
Importance of fats
Dietary fat is an essential macronutrient that is a part of a balanced diet. Fats act as building blocks for your brain and nerve tissues. Fats form a protective layer on the cells and even helps in the absorption of nutrients and vitamins like A, D, E and K. in the form of cholesterol and fatty acids, fats help in insulating the body and excess of it is stored to form energy later.
You can include ghee, olive oil, rice bran oil and coconut oil in your daily diet in small quantities. A handful of nuts per day also provide healthy fats to your body.
Fat as a fuel
Your body depends on carbohydrates and fats for energy. While carbs form the primary source of energy, fats act as a secondary or backup source of energy. In other words, your body will first burn carbohydrates and once they are exhausted, it will switch to fats.
If you take a balanced diet, your body will naturally burn carbohydrates first and then switch to fats. But, as many people eat excess carbs on a daily basis due to an unbalanced diet, their body takes all the energy required for the day from carbohydrates that are present in excess. Due to this, the fat consumed is of no use to the body and gets stored in the body leading to weight gain.
Role of insulin
When you eat a meal, you trigger the insulin in the body. Insulin signals the body to convert the food into energy and then triggers the body to use the stored fat to carry the daily chores. High insulin levels will keep your body in a fat-storing state, while low insulin levels will turn your body to burn fat for energy.
If you eat a diet rich in carbohydrates, your body will always prioritize burning those carbs first and might never use the fats which were stored for later usage. This will cause the fats to accumulate over time leading to weight gain.
On the other hand, if you reduce your carb intake, then the body will quickly burn the limited carbs consumed and then will tap into the stored fats reserve for energy. This process will burn the stored energy or fats and will lead to gradual weight loss.
Bottomline
It is a known fact that excess of everything is bad. If you consume excess fats, you will for sure gain weight. Also, consuming fried and processed foods regularly too will turn into a hurdle in your weight loss journey.
Thus, it is advisable to include healthy fats in your diet in moderate amounts and pair up your diet with regular exercise to not only lose weight but also keep fit.
