FAT. The word itself sends shivers down the spines of the health-conscious gym goers. Fat has become an international obsession and dirty word. Over the last decade balanced carb, high protein and low fat diets have become increasingly popular trends. We see clean eating cafes in every city, fitness guru’s advertising the latest fat loss exercises and articles in popular magazines and tabloids dramatically warning us of the dangers of a high fat diet. Diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and cancer are just a handful of concepts we associate with fat. Society really has waged a war on fat! While protein, fibre, grains and veg have taken centre stage in today’s health revolution, fat sits in the corner, hated, neglected, out of fashion and totally misunderstood. (Poor fat)
Maybe it’s time we re-evaluated our relationship with our old friend fat. According to Dr Sylvia Tara, fat is the least understood part of the human body. As a society, we are very quick to label fat an enemy to our health and well-being. We find ourselves constantly striving to achieve the perfect body and maintain a healthy lifestyle, assuming that fat is the evil enemy which will only hinder our goals. However, branding fat as the antagonist in our health crusade is completely naive and quite frankly ignorant. Unlike other food groups and nutrients, fat has a far more complicated story. Do we actually fully understand the importance and function of fat within our bodies and why we need it in our diet?
You’ll probably be surprised to know that fat is in fact a vital organ, just like your liver, heart and brain. Therefore, it plays a very significant role in the day to day functioning and maintenance of your body. It acts as an absorber that protects your organs as much as possible if you fall or injure yourself. It is also a constituent of hormones and other biochemical such as vitamin D and bile. It even helps stimulate growth and development.
Fat is also a high-energy nutrient; gram for gram fats have more than twice as much energy potential as protein and carbohydrates. So, on the days where you’ve had to trek across campus twice, been forced to go to the gym with your overly motivated housemate, and still made it to the Ocean dancefloor, its fat that keeps you going. When you are on your fourth Jägerbomb at 2:30 in the morning and still feel compelled you take your top off for Baywatch, you really should be thanking fat for the reserve of energy!.
So maybe it’s time to give fat a break and start appreciating its awesome qualities. However, please don’t assume that you can have Maccies for breakfast and Krispy Kreme’s galore! There are obviously good fats and bad fats, and we shouldn’t generalise all fat as bad and hazardous to our health. Fat is essential for a balanced diet and a balanced diet is essential for good health and well-being.
Edited by Isabelle Walker
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References:
Nutrition for Dummies, Carol Ann Rinzler, John Wiley & Sons; 6th Revised edition edition (17 Jun. 2016)
The Secret Life of Fat: The science behind the body’s greatest puzzle, Sylvia Tara, Blink Publishing (29 Dec. 2016)