Brace yourself, because you're about to read about the "F-word."
No, not that "F-word". This post is all about the other word you avoid that begins with the letter F: fat.
If you're like many people, you don't like saying the word fat, much less ingesting actual fat. But there's something you need to know: Your body needs it.
By now you probably know that not all fats are created equal.
Trans fats and saturated fats—those that are solid at room temperature and found in butter and on a steak—are terrible for you. They raise your bad cholesterol level, clog your arteries and put you at a much higher risk of developing heart disease.
Then there's the so-called "good fat." This is the fat that comes from vegetable products and fish. The vegetable variety is generally liquid and used for cooking—peanut and olive oil, for example. The fish variety is found in, well, fish—salmon, mackerel and even sardines.
"Good fat" does a lot of, well, good things for your body. It can actually lower your cholesterol level. It helps prevent heart disease. It helps treat a host of other ailments, including arthritis and lupus, and it is even believed to help with depression.
You know all this, right. How you're supposed to avoid "bad fats" and replace them with all sorts of "good fat," right?
But here's something you probably didn't know: "Good fat" can actually help you lose weight.
It's true—your body actually needs fat in order to function properly. And "good fat" works best, obviously.
"Good fat" not only shields you from an array of horrible maladies, but it also reduces cravings; helps your body absorb essential vitamins and minerals which keep you healthy and properly digesting nutrients; and it works as a fat burner.
That's right: "Good fat" actually burns fat by helping boost your metabolism.
