Be Wise While Choosing Fatty Diets

Earlier, all of us used to think that dietary fats are highly harmful and they cause many diseases like heart ailments, diabetes and blood pressure-related problems. A lot of research has taken place about them and it has now been found that there are good fats that can benefit our health also. Of course, bad fats and very bad fats will certainly harm our health.

Unsaturated fats are called good fats. So, instead of harming you, they will protect you from diseases like heart problems, blood pressure-related diseases, etc. There are two types of unsaturated fats and they are monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. There is absolutely no harm for your health from both these types of fats. In fact, they may benefit you by bringing down your Low Density Lipoprotein, which is bad cholesterol and increasing High Density Lipoprotein that is otherwise known as good cholesterol.

You can get Omega-3 fatty acids from polyunsaturated fats. Omega-3 fatty acids are mainly available in cold-water fish and nuts. You can get them from dark leafy greens, a few vegetable oils and flaxseed oil also. The human body can not produce one type of Omega-3 fatty acid, which is an essential acid. The only way you can get this is by consuming items that contain it. It is a proven fact that by eating Omega-3 fatty acids, you can get immense health benefits. They are said to lower blood pressure and reduce Low Density Lipoprotein. They can fight inflammation also. Further, they protect the nervous system and the brain.

Saturated fats are bad fats and these can create a havoc by causing blocks in the arteries. The main sources of these bad fats are meat and almost all the dairy products. These fats increase the Low Density Lipoprotein. It is true that they are a good source of nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Therefore, you should reduce their intake instead of completely avoiding them. The upper limit of your daily intake should not exceed seven percent.

Trans fats that are also called as hydrogenated fats are very bad fats. They are created due to a process called hydrogenation and hence, they are known as hydrogenated fats. This process converts liquid vegetable oils into solid fats. They cause severe harm to human health by increasing the Low Density Lipoprotein and lowering the High Density Lipoprotein. This means bad cholesterol increases in the body and good cholesterol decreases. These trans fats are generally available in almost all the processed foods. That is why you should avoid eating fried and deep-fried items and also processed items. They are available in processed items like cakes, doughnuts, snack foods, etc. also.

It is true that you get energy from fats. It is also true that you need fats if you want your brain and nervous system to function well. But, the fats you eat should be good fats. These good fats will protect you from the cold and give you clear skin and healthy hair also. But, you should avoid trans fats completely.

Raman Kuppuswamy writes highly informative, interesting and educative articles on various topics. He has written several articles on hubpages also. Kindly visit http://dreamdamodar.hubpages.com/ and read his other articles.

Good Health Need Not Be Elusive

The main themes of the World Health Day of 2012 that falls on 7 April are Aging and Health. The official slogan that has been released is "Good health adds life to years". Though it is true that many people have started realizing the benefits of staying healthy, we can not assume that every one is taking good care of their health. Modern lifestyles are one of the main contributors for some of the major health problems.



Many young people are increasingly getting interested in knowing the benefits of staying healthy. At the same time, the number of people who are affected by non-communicable diseases is also increasing alarmingly. Among the non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular ailments and so on, cancer and cardiovascular diseases can be more fatal. A WHO report on South Asia says that these diseases are likely to increase to 7 per cent of the population from 4.4 per cent in another 15 years. The major disturbing fact is that even young people are affected by these diseases. Earlier, youth were considered healthy because their systems used to be quite active. But, thanks to the changes in lifestyles, young age does not guarantee good health any more.



Unfortunately, a large number of young people do not accord the right type of importance to their health. They eat junk foods and lead a stressful life. If they continue leading such lifestyles, they will be accelerating their aging process. They may be affected by serious diseases like heart problems, diabetes, stress-related problems like blood pressure, etc. They should realize this mistake and start bestowing more attention on their health. If they make a few important changes to their lifestyles, they can benefit immensely and lead a healthy life. They can postpone their aging also.



- The foremost step for delaying the aging process and leading a healthy life is to switch to fiber foods. Fiber foods are fresh fruits and green vegetables, wholesome grains, beans, nuts, etc. Instead of eating junk foods and carbohydrate-filled sweets and snacks, if we eat vegetables and fruits, we can really "add life to our years". Likewise, our food should contain good carbohydrates and good fats. It should supply sufficient doses of proteins also.



- The importance of exercises need not be over-emphasized. By doing regular exercises, we can not only have good health but will be able to sustain it also. Exercises improve blood circulation. When all the parts of our body are supplied with sufficient nutrients, we can be more efficient in whatever we do.



- We must drink sufficient quantity of water. By drinking more than 2 liters of water daily, we can hydrate our body both internally and externally. Our skin gets moisturized also if we drink sufficient water. Lack of water leads to many problems. We should never wait for feeling thirsty. We can get rid of constipation problem also if we make it a point to drink sufficient quantity of water daily.



- Sleeping for 7 to 8 hours a day is a must for keeping good health. The body gets repaired when we have sufficient sleep during nights. Hormone-secretion gets regulated also during a good night's sleep.



- We should learn to manage our stress levels. Stress has been found to be a major contributor for many health problems. Yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, etc. can be very effective for managing our stress levels.



These steps will help us to postpone our aging. We can lead a healthy life also.