Should Americans Stop Eating Fat?

Well, it certainly seems that way. On average, Americans ingest more fat than individuals of any other nation. The average American consumes 77 lbs. of fat each year. That accounts for over 330,000 calories. Currently, Americans eat in excess of 21 pounds more, per annum, than we did only forty years ago. That's right, and unless there's greatly increased exercise, that's enough to cause 25 lbs. of weight gain every year. Combine that with the trend toward a sedentary lifestyle and the result: An estimated 80 million Americans are classified as obese; that's 35% obesity.

And along with obesity comes a variety of deleterious health conditions. Those include diabetes, high blood pressure, headaches, lethargy, depression, skin disorders, nervousness, joint deterioration, and sickness. All those conditions contribute to heart disease and cancer, and subsequently lead to early death.

But back to the original question, do we eat too much fat? We need fats. We need to consume certain fats for good health.

· Fats protect and cushion the organs

· Fats provide energy

· They help our body absorb important vitamins like A, D, K and E

· Fats produce hormones that regulate blood pressure

So, the key isn't reduction of fats; the key lies in reducing bad fats and increasing the good fats. The bad fats include saturated fats, trans-fats, and hydrogenated fats. Some of the sources of the bad fats are snack foods, commercially fried foods, shortening, and stick margarine. Yes, margarine was once considered a healthy alternative to butter, but it's just the opposite. And those bad fats account for several negative effects.

· They can account for a decrease in good cholesterol

· They increase the amount of bad cholesterol

· Increased the risk of heart disease and heart attack

· Dull hair and skin

· Kidney disorders

· An increase in high blood pressure

· They can cause impaired immunity

The good fats include unsaturated fat, mono-unsaturated fats, and poly-unsaturated fats. They are primarily omega-3 and omega-6 fats. And those have many beneficial effects. There are several foods that supply these beneficial fats and they should make up 30 percent of the diet.

· Raw nuts and seeds, especially walnuts and ground flax seeds

· Cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, canola oil, and flaxseed oil

· Salmon, tuna, trout, sardines, rock fish, halibut, and other cold-water fish

· Avocadoes

· Black olives

Summation

Over the past forty years we've been given incorrect advice and bad sources of fat. Americans don't need to eat less fat. We just need to eat omega-3 and omega-6, the essential fats.


The author has written two historical, World War II, non-fiction books under the pen name of Chris Gregory. Buckshot Pie is available in hardcover or paperback at Amazon. Also Dismounted Liberty, of the creative non-fiction genre, is available in Kindle Edition on Amazon, both at http://www.amazon.com/Chris-Gregory/e/B00FYXT8BA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

To learn more about these interesting reads, go to http://www.BuckshotPie.com

Best wishes for 2015!

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