Good fats vs bad fats

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Good fats vs bad fats

 

One of the first things people cut out why trying to lose weight is fats, but there are so many fats and oils out there and some are essential to our diet and are actually good for us. Here is some information to help you pick and avoid the fats that are good and bad for you.

There are 4 main groups of fats:

·         Saturated Fats

·         Monounsaturated Fats

·         Polyunsaturated Fats

·         Trans Fats

Saturated fats

Sources of Saturated fats

 

Animal

Non Animal

Meat- Beef, Pork, Lamb

Palm Oil

Poultry- Chicken, Duck

Coconut Oil

Dairy- Milk, Cheese, Yoghurt, Cream, Butter

 

Eggs

 

 

Saturated fats have had a pretty hard time in the press over the years as they have been blamed as a cause of coronary heart disease. Recent research has shown that the original studies may have been misinterpreted and misrepresented. Studies have now stated that fat found in the artery walls of coronary heart disease patients are made up of 26% saturated fat and the rest is unsaturated or predominantly plant based.

Benefits of saturated fats are:

·         Enhancement of the immune system

·         Enhancement of liver function as it helps protect against the effects of alcohol

·         Great source of energy

Unsaturated Fats are split into two groups, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats.

 

Monounsaturated Fats

 

 

Sources of Monounsaturated Fats

Avocado oil

Olive Oil

Hazel nuts

Lard

Almonds

Peanut Oil

Rapeseed oil

Canola Oil

 

Monounsaturated fats are thought to lower the risk of coronary heart disease, which is the reason the adverts at the moment are trying to get us to represent a Mediterranean diet. Even though these fats are good for us be careful how much of these you eat as they make up the largest part of our body fat, comprising 52%.

 

Polyunsaturated Fats

These are split into two groups.

 

Omega 3 fatty acids

Omega 6 fatty acids

Oily fish and cod liver oil

Sunflower oil and seeds

Falxseeds and Oil

Corn and soybean oil

Walnuts

Safflower oil

Pasture reared eggs

Pumpkin seeds

 

Sesame oil and seeds

 

These are also known as essential fatty acids as they are essential to our diet, as our body cannot synthesise them itself. These fatty acids are needed for the functioning of our cells and must be eaten in the required amounts to promote good health.  A ratio of 1:2 or 2:1 of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids should be consumed. Over eating of omega 6 in the modern diet has been shown to increase cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Omega 3 fatty acids are very beneficial to us as they reduce the tendency of blood to clot lower total cholesterol and raise levels of HDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is good cholesterol and can lower the risk of coronary heart disease.

Trans Fats

These are the bad ones and are not good for you on any level. They are 100% man made unsaturated fats. Our bodies do not recognise the structure of these fatty acids and therefore cannot utilise them. These are responsible for coronary heart disease and some experts believe that trans fats are closer in structure to plastic than fat! Common foods that contain trans fats are:

 

Many Margarine’s

Pies

Biscuits

Pastries

Cakes

Pre-prepared foods

Crackers

Many “low fat” processed foods. (Low in saturated fat but high in trans fat

Take away foods

 

 

Many food manufactures make out their products are healthy and good for us are they are low in saturated fat, as we have been made to think these are bad for us through the media. These “healthier options” are actually full of trans fats, which can be labelled unsaturated. If you are looking to lose weight steer clear of these as our bodies cannot utilise them and they become stored as body fat. It is much better to go for the full fat option as it contains natural nutrients that our body needs and they taste better, so it’s a win win situation.

Margarines

This is something to think about when reaching for the margarine instead of the butter next time in the supermarket. This is how margarine is produced.

1.       They start are natural vegetable oils, Soy beans, corn sunflower or rapeseeds

2.       Oils are extracted by high temperature and pressure

3.       Remaining fraction of oils removed with hexane and other solvents

4.       Oils are now rancid, they are steam cleaned to remove all vitamins and anti-oxidants, but the pesticides and solvents remain

5.       Oils are mixed with a nickel catalyst

6.       Oils with the catalyst are subjected to hydrodegn gas in a high-pressure, high temperature reactor

7.       Soap like emulsifiers are mixed in

8.       Oils steam cleansed to remove the horrible odour

9.       They are now grey in colour, so are bleached

10.   Artificial colours, synthetic vitamins and natural colour are added

11.   Mixture is packaged in tubs and advertised as a health food

I never go near margarine, full butter all the way for me.

 

So in summary, stay clear of anything that contains trans fats and eat a good balance of saturated, mono and polyunsaturated fats.

Stretching, whats the point?

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Stretching, why bother its boring?!

 

I know it can be boring and perceived as a waste of time but it is really not. If you want to be more powerful, run that race faster, kick or throw the ball further, increase your energy and generally be fitter, take the time to stretch.

Flexibly is one of the components to a person’s fitness. Others include strength, power, endurance, speed, balance, co-ordination, agility and skill. One of the end results of stretching is the increase in the length of your muscles.

So just to list a few, here are some of the benefits of stretching:

·         Improves your range of movement.

o   This basically means the distance/ amount you can reach, bend and move- all pretty important for day to day living. It also defines the distance your limbs can move before damage occurs to your muscles and tendons. For example a foot baller kicking a football, needs to have a large range of movement, the more flexible they are, the more powerful the kick.

·         Increased power.

o    Like I mentioned, stretching increases the length of your muscles and can therefore increase the distance your muscles can contract. This in turn increases your muscle power and athletic ability.

·         Reduces muscle soreness.

o    I know all of you have suffered from this at some point, especially after your first session with me! The soreness is a result of tiny muscle tears, blood pooling and a build-up of waste products, such as lactic acid. Stretching lengthens the muscle fibres, increases the blood circulation and removes waste products.

·         Postural improvement.

o   Not stretching can result in short tight muscles, which can cause poor posture and eventually pain, typically in the shoulders, neck and back. A very typical person in the city sits at their desk for 8 hours a day, in a poor position with their shoulders rounded. This lengthens and weakens the muscles in the shoulders and back. They then head to the gym and work on their “mirror muscles”, such as the chest and abdominals, and don’t stretch as they are short for time or think it is a waste of time. These chest and abdominal muscles are now short and tight, causing the shoulders to round over even more. Down the line this will cause them to take time off work from lower back or neck pain.

o   Stretching to improve your posture can actually make you look slimmer too!

 

·         Added benefits include, increase energy levels, stress relief and improved circulation.

 

There are two main types of stretching, static and dynamic.

·         Static stretching is performed without movement, so for example stretching the front of the

thigh, by holdhing your ankle.

You should hold these types of stretches for 10-15 seconds. But if you are looking to increase your flexibility, hold for 10-15 seconds, increase the stretch, hold for 10-15 seconds, increase stretch and hold for 10-15 seconds.

 

·         Dynamic stretching involves stretching with movement. This does not mean swinging aggressively or bouncing (never do this). Dynamic stretches involve a controlled soft swing and the force of the swing should gradually be increased. Eg. Swinging your arms above your head.

One of the common thoughts of stretching is that if I stretched before my workout then I don’t need to do it again at the end, or vice versa. Wrong! There are totally different reasons for stretching before and after exercise.

·         Stretching before exercise.

o   Firstly never stretch before you warm up. It is like trying to stretch an old, dry rubber band; they can snap. So warm up first for 10 minutes with a light-moderate exercise, and then do various dynamic stretches. This will continue to warm the muscles, deliver nutrients to the muscles and loosen the joints. The main reason to stretch before exercise is to prevent injury.

·         Stretching after exercise.

o   This is to aid the recovery of muscles and tendons and reduce the soreness that can come over the next couple of days.

o   A good 5-10 minute cool down should also be involved in the post exercise stretch, as it prevents the blood pooling and promotes the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the muscles also aiding in the recovery.

 

So in conclusion, when you are working out outside our sessions stretch!