2024-07-22 14:06:44
It is well known that saturated fat is bad for the body. They eventually clog a person’s blood vessels and contribute to early death.
Saturated fats are found in foods of animal origin. So, adding more plant-based foods to your diet can reduce harmful fats in your blood. This statement was confirmed by a new a study published in the journal Nature Medicine.
“Our study provides even more confidence in the health benefits of a diet rich in unsaturated plant fats, such as the Mediterranean diet,” says Clemens Wittenbecher, head of research at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.
The main message of the researchers: efforts should be made to replace animal fats with vegetable fats.
People get a lot of harmful saturated fat from foods such as sandwiches, processed cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs or spaghetti with meatballs. In addition, these dishes are characterized by low nutrition.
Reduces blood vessel permeability
Fats are an important part of the diet, but there is a major difference in which foods they come from.
“Animal fat, all saturated fat, is linked to heart disease risk. They increase blood levels of triglycerides, both HDL and LDL cholesterol. Higher levels of blood lipids are associated with a higher risk of heart disease,” said certified nutritionist Evangeline Mantzioris.
The World Health Organization (WHO) advises to reduce the consumption of saturated fatty acids and calls for the elimination of industrially produced fatty acids in food products.
The most harmful group of saturated fats for health are trans fats.
“Trans fats have no known health benefits and pose enormous risks,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement this year.
“Trans fats are particularly harmful to the circulatory system, as they reduce the permeability of blood vessels, increasing the likelihood that they will become blocked. Therefore, trans fats are considered particularly harmful,” – lrytas.lt said dietician Dalia Petrauskienė earlier. The full text can be found here.
A healthier alternative to butter
Fats are necessary for humans because they form cell membranes and are important for the smooth functioning of the brain.
However, plant-based fats are better for the overall health of the body. They also contain more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other healthy compounds that reduce harmful inflammation in the body.
“Saturated animal-based fats and the proteins they contain increase inflammation, which significantly increases the risk of heart disease, ischemic stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer,” warns clinical nutritionist Dana Hunnes.
According to nutritional recommendations, saturated fat should make up no more than 10 percent. of total daily calories. However, the vast majority of people exceed this limit.
Nutritionists encourage replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats. For example, instead of cheese, eat nuts, seeds or avocados.
Saturated fat intake can also be reduced by replacing butter with cooking oils that are high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
Sandwiches without butter
What is the healthiest vegetable oil? Experts who spoke to Medical News Today said their health effects vary.
“Monounsaturated vegetable oils are usually the healthiest. These are olive, avocado, peanut and grape seed oils,” D. Hunnes said. She also isolated linseed and hemp oil.
However, just because an oil is of vegetable origin does not automatically mean that it contains unsaturated fats.
For example, palm and coconut oils are plant-based, but are high in saturated fat. Hence, they should be avoided in food.
Reheated oils have also been found to have harmful health effects.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans indicate that canola, corn, sunflower, and soybean oils can be good alternatives to butter.
E. Mantzioris advised not to use butter for sandwiches. If the bread becomes dry and crunchy, plant-based spreads are a healthy and tasty alternative.
According to experts, the most important thing when switching from a diet high in saturated fat to one high in plant-based monounsaturated fat is not to make sudden changes.
“Eat more vegetables, avocados, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes – you won’t walk around hungry. Slow and gradual changes are often better tolerated than bold changes out of the blue,” said D. Hunnes.
2024-07-22 14:06:44