Why Living in Moderation is Essential to Our Well-Being
Adipose, or our body's fatty tissue, is a topic we all know something about. It might be that we have too much, too little, or just enough but located in the wrong places. As we look at this body fat, we are inundated with every diet known to man to help us lose, gain, redistribute, or in some way modify our adipose tissue. Most of these concerns fail to mention that it is this very tissue which is our body's storehouse of energy. Granted, we sometimes have more of this stored energy than we need, but nevertheless, it is there, waiting to be tapped.
In our zeal to change our fatty tissue, we often look at our dietary fats as the problem. This is true and, well, also not so true. The average female body contains 20 to 27% fatty tissue. The lean female has 12 to 15% with the unhealthy woman carrying less than 12%. It is sometimes these figures that get us into trouble. When analyzing our body, we must look at our genetics. Our bodies are shaped much like how our sisters/aunts/mothers are shaped. For better or for worse.
If, however, you are on the side of obesity (30 pounds or more overweight), then you must consider doing something about the excess in order to protect your health. One such idea is actually blocking the body's ability to absorb the eaten fat. "Green tea extract blocks the production of digestive enzymes that break down dietary fats in the digestive system, causing a reduction of dietary fats absorption of 40%. This causes dietary fats to pass though the body without being digested. The authors concluded that green tea extract could limit the digestion of dietary fats and reduce body weight in obese patients." 1 Blocking body fat, however, should not be considered unless you are working closely with your health professional.
Better yet, one should consider a low fat diet. A low fat diet means that you are consuming no more than 20% of your calories in the form of fat. This is versus a high fat diet where your total number of calories is greater than 40% of your intake. Unfortunately, excessive consumption of dietary fats increases our production of cholesterol along with creating a whole host of other problems.
Heartburn is actually attributed to over consumption of dietary fats. It's been noted "that high intake of dietary fats relax the lower esophageal sphincter which is a principal underlying factor in heartburn." 2
Over-consumption is also related to irritable bowel syndrome or even excess flatulence. "Excessive consumption of dietary Fats (especially fried dietary Fats) cause Flatulence (due to Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfur Dioxide production by the Detrimental Bacteria within the Digestive Tract that excessive dietary Fats cause to proliferate)." 3
A sad note about ingesting dietary fats is that the body prefers to store these fats in our adipose tissues rather than utilizing it as energy. An equally sad component of this is that it takes far fewer calories to digest fats as compared to protein or carbohydrates. "Unlike calories derived from other sources, calories derived from Dietary Fats require very little endogenous Energy to be expended in digesting and metabolizing them, therefore ingestion of Dietary Fats do not increase the body's Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) to the extent that calories derived from other sources do." 3
Another note about dietary fats is its contribution or lack of contribution to concentration. It has been proven that the fats in our lunch make us want to go to sleep after the meal, not the protein or carbohydrates. 4 So, when your lunch diet is fast food (known for its higher fat content) make sure you aren't making an important presentation in the afternoon or you might embarrass yourself with your "duller" senses.
In conclusion, a balanced diet is really our best diet. We need our fats, they certainly enhance the flavors of foods; however, try to keep your dietary intake between 25 to 30% of your total caloric intake. We need our fat to help make our bodies round and soft. We also need our fat for that quick energy needed to help us sustain a healthy balanced living. Like anything, we just want to eat sensibly and try to retrain our tastes to enjoy the fresh flavors of raw, uncultured foods.
Sources
1 Juhel, C., et al. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 11:45-51, 2000.
2 Nebel, O. T., et al. "Kinetics of fat inhibition of the lower esophageal sphincter." J Appl Physiol. 35:6, 1973.
4 Wells, A. S., et al. "Influences of dietary and intraduodenal lipids on alertness, mood, and sustained concentration." British Journal of Nutrition. 74(1):115-123, 1995.
Please Note: As always, it's essential that you check with your healthcare professional before making any changes in your daily health regimen.
About the Author
Dr. Robyn L. Finseth is a practicing Chiropractic Physician in the state of Oregon. She has a Master's degree in Counseling/Psychology and uses both of these degrees in her natural healthcare practice. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, of which her credits include being published in an internationally recognized chiropractic textbook.
My curse is my gift. My nightmares, deep sensitivity, and emotional instability gives the best (and most uncomfortable) inspirations I could ever have. For me, art is passion - and visions are the mirror, which show my feelings and connect me with the rest of the world. Read More...
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