Women's Fitness

September2016 |womensfitness.co.uk 101

function’ believesDr Hyman. This

makesperfect senseconsidering

our bodies(including ourbrains)

are made upof fat so wemust

feed it with healthy dietary fatfor

our body to function properly.

But don’t get us wrong not all

fatis good. Trans fats and

vegetable oils which are foundin

mostprocessedfoods like

pre-packaged cakes biscuits and

ready meals have negative

effects on health. ‘They make

us fatter and contribute to

inflammationwhich plays arole in

nearly every chronic diseaseon

the planet’ maintains Dr Hyman.

And let’s not forget about lo w-fat

or ‘lig ht’ foods. These may be low

in fat but they are often high in

sugar. ‘Moresugar meansyour

cells become numbto insulin’s

“call”. Your body pumps out

more and more insulin to pull your

blood sugar levelsbackdown. You

can’t burn all the sugar you eat.

Inevitably your body stores it as

fat creating insulin resistanceand

overall metabolic havoc among

other mayhem’ says Dr Hyman.

So what are the good types

of fat? Essentially these are

unsaturated fats which fall

into two groupsMUFAsor

monounsaturated fatty acids and

PUFAs polyunsaturated fatty

acids. Theseboth include

omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Avocados nuts seeds olive oil

fatty fish including sardines

mackerel and salmon are all rich

in omega fatty acids and should

form part of your overall diet.

‘Your brainis about 60 percent

fat. Of that percentage the biggest

portion comes froman omega-3

called docosahexaenoic acid

(DHA). Your brainneeds DHA to

spark communication between

cells and easy access to

high-quality fatboosts cognition

happiness learning and memory. In

contrast studieslink a deficiency

in omega-3 fats to depression

anxiety bipolar disorder and

schizophrenia’ says Dr Hyman.

Along with unsaturated fats Dr

Hyman says that the often-

overlooked saturated fats like

those foundin grass-fed butter

ghee organic meat whole milk and

coconut oil are a keycomponent of

a balanced diet. These are all

sources of natural fats that are

packedwith nutrients and not

harmful to health as once thought.

‘So many people –

doctors patients and

eaters alike –are all

confused about fat and

still hold on to myths

and misinformation’