Fat and cholesterol are harmful to health, should you keep away from your diet? 6 common sense that everyone is familiar with may be misunderstood

For foods rich in fat and cholesterol, most people avoid it, because in the previous common sense, eating such foods may increase the risk of many diseases in the human body, such as high blood lipids, heart disease, stroke , vascular diseases, etc. Therefore, for more than ten years, many people have chosen low-fat foods, such as egg whites instead of egg yolks, and non-fat dairy products, etc., hoping to improve their health, lose weight, and even use such a diet. regain health.

However, in recent studies, medical personnel have found that eating foods with more fat or cholesterol does not necessarily lead to increased blood lipids, which affects organs such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular. Maybe some foods rich in cholesterol are also good for health , so, what misconceptions do we have about fat and cholesterol in our diet? Today let's learn about 6 misunderstood common sense about fat and cholesterol.

01

Does eating fat make you gain weight?

In our common sense, eating high-fat foods will make you gain weight and become fat. This is a misunderstanding. In fact, eating too much of any food, including nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, will make you fat, but if you eat a balanced diet and eat the right amount of calories, it will not make you fat. Gain weight, even if you eat high-fat foods.

There was an American high school teacher who did an experiment. He chose to eat three meals at a McDonald's fast food restaurant for a month. We all think that the food in fast food restaurants such as McDonald's is high-fat and high-calorie food, and if you eat it for a long time, you will gain weight. But the teacher lost weight after eating for a month in a row. The reason is that he matched the meals in McDonald's reasonably to ensure a balanced nutrition and control the total daily calorie intake.

In addition, research by many health and nutrition organizations shows that eating high-fat foods, including eggs, avocados, nuts, and full-fat dairy products, may also help increase satiety and reduce weight, such as ketogenic weight loss methods. Diet and low-carb diets, both high-fat diets, have been shown to promote weight loss.

Of course, a high-fat diet does not mean to eat all high-fat foods. It is also important to pay attention to the quality of the diet. Processed high-fat foods should still be avoided, such as sugary high-fat foods, baking, frying, and barbecue. Foods should be avoided as eating such foods may increase weight.

02

Are cholesterol-rich foods unhealthy?

Many people think that eating cholesterol-rich foods, such as eggs, seafood, organ meats, and full-fat dairy products, is unhealthy, but this is not the case.

Many high-cholesterol foods are very nutritious, egg yolks are high in cholesterol, and there are many vitamins and minerals that the human body needs. Full-fat dairy products have more protein and calcium. In addition, for visceral products, such as animal liver Although it contains more cholesterol, it also has a variety of trace elements, such as copper, vitamin A, and vitamin B12. As long as 20-30g of animal liver is consumed, it can supplement the daily intake of adults.

Of course, you should not consume too much of any food. Foods rich in cholesterol should also be in moderation. Under the condition of ensuring balanced nutrition, a sufficient amount of cholesterol is really beneficial to health. For example, a normal person has 1 egg per day and No burden on health. However, certain cholesterol-rich foods, such as ice cream, fried foods, and processed meats, should also be limited.

03

Does saturated fat cause heart disease?

The topic of saturated fat's impact on the heart has been a hot topic of debate, but recent research has shown no significant association between saturated fat intake and heart disease.

It is true that increased saturated fat in the human body increases the risk of heart disease. For example, increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) can increase the risk of heart disease, but saturated fat intake may also increase heart-protecting high-density lipoprotein. Cholesterol (HDL). In addition, many of the larger medical studies have shown that there is not much correlation between saturated fat intake and heart attack or death.

Therefore, medical experts believe that because different types of saturated fat have different effects on human health, when it comes to overall human health and disease risk, the most important thing is to look at the overall level of the diet, not just the intake of saturated fat.

04

Eating fat increases diabetes risk

Doctors generally advise patients with type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes to maintain a low-fat diet in their diet, which is generally thought to mean that eating too much fat may increase the risk of diabetes. But in fact, scientific research suggests that not all fatty foods may increase the risk of diabetes.

Fatty foods such as fish fat, full-fat dairy products, avocados, olive oil, and nuts are known to improve blood sugar and insulin levels and have the ability to prevent the progression of diabetes. And some other high-fat foods, such as trans fats, baked breads with more fat, snacks, etc., may increase the risk.

Through this, everyone should be able to understand that the food that can increase the risk of diabetes is mainly the junk food we usually talk about. This kind of food will not only bring high fat, but may also bring more sugar and calories. leading cause of diabetes risk.

A 2019 study of 2,139 people by the U.S. health care agency found no association between the intake of plant and vegetable fats or total fat and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the most important factor in reducing diabetes risk is the overall composition of the diet, not individual fats.

05

Should women avoid high-fat, high-cholesterol foods during pregnancy?

Generally, for pregnant women, many people will tell them that they should avoid eating high-fat and high-cholesterol foods during pregnancy, because they are afraid that consuming too much high-fat and high cholesterol will cause the pregnant woman to gain weight, which is not good for the health of her and her fetus. But in fact, eating fat during pregnancy is important.

Because pregnant women have a great increase in the demand for fat-soluble nutrients, such as vitamin A and choline, and omega-3 during this period, they need to be supplemented or transformed by ingesting fat, and fat is also required for fetal brain formation. nutrition for normal development. For example, DHA, also known as docosahexaenoic acid, is a fatty acid mainly found in fish fat and plays a key role in fetal brain and vision development, and low levels of DHA in the maternal blood may cause fetal Neurodevelopment is impaired, and such nutrients can only be obtained from fatty foods, which are difficult to find in other foods.

In addition, egg yolks are rich in choline, an important nutrient for fetal brain and vision development, and full-fat dairy products provide calcium and vitamin K2, both essential nutrients for bone development.

Therefore, fat-rich foods are very important for the health of the fetus and the mother. The pregnant woman actually has the ability to self-regulate during pregnancy. For example, which foods she wants to eat are often a sign of physical deficiency, but do not consume too much. , maintaining the right amount is the healthiest.

06

Are low-fat or fat-free products the best choice for health?

We often see many low-fat or fat-free foods in supermarkets, such as skim milk, low-fat biscuits, low-fat potato chips, etc. These products are generally purchased by women who want to lose weight. Of course, there are also some high-fat and high-fat foods People who want to improve their taste come to buy, although low-fat foods sound healthy, but in fact these foods are not good for overall health, because these foods are not only low in fat, but also low in other nutrients, only high in calories and sugar, Excessive intake can lead to weight gain and abnormal metabolism. Long-term consumption may lead to chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Moreover, many non-fat products are processed foods, which contain more preservatives, artificial colors, etc. Long-term consumption of such foods will also accumulate these additives in the body, which will cause the metabolic burden of the organs. So, instead of trying to reduce your calorie intake by choosing highly processed fat-free products, enjoy small amounts of whole-nutrition fats in meals and snacks that can boost your overall health.

In daily life, fat and cholesterol are often called unhealthy by many people, but in fact this is a misunderstanding. The reason why health problems arise from eating foods rich in fat and cholesterol is caused by unbalanced dietary intake. Because of taste preferences, only a single nutrient is consumed without considering the overall nutritional situation, which leads to damage to health. This "black pot" cannot be left to fat or cholesterol.

Fat and cholesterol are both nutrients that the human body needs. A moderate and balanced intake will also bring health to the human body. When considering whether a diet will bring health problems, it should be considered from the overall diet, rather than a single diet. food consumption.

Jingshan Buddha Dialect Health