What fat to eat if you are serious about losing weight

Have you too cut off fat from your diet, and are now waiting for the weight loss you think will naturally follow because of this "surgical strike"?

Well, sorry to burst the bubble, but "fat" is not a four-letter word as popularly projected. And no it is not responsible for every modern day ailment (including weight gain) that's bogging us down these days too.

Don't believe me? Maybe you need to read new research about fat. It is increasingly getting clear that whatever else removing fat from your diet might or might not do, what it'll most definitely do is up your dementia risk and finally make you prone to Alzheimer's too. Not feeding our body fat drains out the brain it seems.

What's the connection?

It is clear: ketones, a byproduct of the breakdown of fats in the body are an effective energy source for the brain. In fact, research shows they can even help restore and renew neurons and nerve function in the brain, even after the damage has set in. And it is now increasingly getting clear that fat banning, and carbohydrate overconsumption might actually be at the heart of the Alzheimer's epidemic that's sweeping the world.

So how does one get fat the right way?

Dietary fats are mired in a huge debate. But the fact is that our body cannot function without them. They are, in fact, critical for the man-agement of inflammation and our overall health, as they keep our cell membranes flexible, hormones balanced and inflammatory chemicals under check.

That said, the key word here is "right" - the right kind of fat, consumed in the right way. You do need to choose wisely. Sadly, the fats we do eat these days are highly refined, processed and damaged and thus extremely inflammatory. So they don't help much. To benefit from fats, follow these rules as much as you can:

Say no to processed food

During processing, oils are exposed to excessive heat, light and air, and chemicals too (to deodorise, bleach et al) and then they are packaged in large, clear plastic bottles where they continue to degrade further under the light.

So, by the time we consume them, well they do more harm than good. So as much as possible stick to cold-pressed oils, and keep the intake of processed oils as low as possible.

Use oils by rotation

Every fat, including different oils, has its own composition. Kardi and sunflower oils are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids ( PUFA), while ghee, butter, groundnut oil and mustard oil are rich in saturated fatty acids (SFA) and mono-saturated fatty acid (MUFA).

It is recommended that PUFA, MUFA and SFA are consumed in the ratio 1:1.5:1.

So, all the three sources - that is ghee or butter, mustard or ground-nut oil and safflower or sunflower oil - should be consumed in a day for a healthy heart.

Yes, stop damning saturated fats. It is clear beyond doubt that they are not damning to our health.

Get the right omega balance

Our omega 3 and omega 6 balance is mostly skewed. The seed oils that we mostly consume not just go through very harsh processing methods, but are high in polyunsaturated fats, with a terrible omega 6: omega 3 ratio too.

They contain far more of the inflammatory omega 6 than they do of the anti-inflammatory omega 3 - and this imbalance messes up our body from inside.

Try to correct this balance by consciously increasing the consumption of omega 3. Choose more oils and foods higher in omega 3: cold pressed raw organic flax, hemp, chia, walnut or pumpkin seed oils. Use them in only cold applications such as salad dressings, dips or add them to smoothies.

Salmon, mackerel, sardines, walnuts and flaxseeds are excellent sources of omega 3.

Get smoke point wise

Smoke (flash) point is the temperature at which a bluish smoke begins to emerge from the fat source and starts burning and disintegrating (basically when the pan starts smoking and an acrid smell begins to emanate). Besides spoiling the taste of the food, studies point to the fact that at this point oils turn carcinogenic too.

It is important to fry foods only in oils that have high smoke points like coconut oil, ghee, peanut oil, palm oil et al. And oils like corn, canola, sunflower and sesame can be avoided for frying. Ideally though, frying should be avoided as much as possible.

Skip trans fats

Trans fat sources such as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine and shortening are truly the devil; they are not just bad but downright ugly, and should be avoided. Read labels carefully as the food industry simply loves trans fats. But our heart and blood vessels don't so keep the consumption of friend foods low.

Next week - Habit 5: Cut down on processed foods