Fat For Optimal Health
Is This Your Weak Link?

By Xavier Fox 

It is almost comical to look through the various magazines at the checkout of your local supermarket. Almost every magazine that is tailor-made for the stay-at-home mum is full of articles warning them to avoid carbohydrates and fats at all costs. Then, of course, the article is adjacent to an advertisement that is pushing some sugar-laden yet low-calorie “healthy” snack that contains saturated fats on these poor misguided people. What is not comical is that this misconception appears to be spilling into the bodybuilding arena… but mostly with beginners. Some of our newer ranks of muscle-maniacs are falling into the idea that in order to get ripped, they must cut all fat out of their diet. Not true! In order to maximize your bodybuilding potential and even to get shredded you must consume fats. I will go as far as to say that fats are just as important as protein and carbohydrate, and the three of them make up your bodybuilding trinity.

You know how the story goes with the mainstream media: all you need are a couple of influential celebrity types who only know what they are told second-hand by some so-called “experts” so they mention it on their programs… and pow! All their sheep are spewing the same misinformation. That is most likely how these false beliefs got started. Some television host had a sponsor on their show that manufactures some diet food with sugar and a few grams of triglycerides (notice that I say “triglyceride” instead of fat) in it. That sponsor signed a local celebrity who doesn’t even use the product, but swears they used it to get their incredible body to appear on the show and in their ads. Then the sponsor goes on to tell everyone in the audience (and in their living rooms at home) that their product doesn’t have any “fat” and that is why the person using it looks so incredible.
Then all of the mindless ninnies who have nothing better to do during the day take it as gospel. The dumb magazine writers who are used to writing about what colours go well together for each season and what a girl should do when her boyfriend dumps her fall into the same trap and believe it must be true or so-and-so would not have had that person on their show selling that product. One year later… hundreds of articles written by know-nothings have come out and hundreds of products full of sugar are sitting the supermarket shelves waiting for the home-schooled zombies to buy them.
Well… if you have been eating “fat-free” then you may want to keep reading, because you are about to discover how important a role fats play in your body’s ability to perform in the weight room. In addition, if you want to be able to get as ripped as possible, then guess what… you will need to eat fats. Too many people associate excess body fat with consuming fat. That is not how it is. Of course, like most foods, not all fats are created equal. It is not that you need to eat fats period; it is that you must consume certain types of fats while avoiding others. Excess body fat also has a lot to do with caloric intake… not just fat intake. The rest of this article will help you learn how to make the right choices when consuming fats.
Your body actually needs fats in order to function properly. Fat IS a necessary nutrient! Your body uses fat as an energy source, fat is used in the production of every single cell in your body, fat is used to regulate many processes that occur in your body, fatty acids from some of the working surface of your brain, fatty acids make up the myelin coating on neurons that your nervous system uses to communicate, and they are even heavily involved in your hormone production.
Does the term cholesterol sound familiar to you? Cholesterol is derived from fat and it forms the majority of the surface membranes in your cells. Each membrane made from cholesterol will perform a different function depending on what type of cell it is. Cholesterols can help the cells do things such as stop invading organisms from penetrating the cell membrane, transport nutrients into the cell while transporting waste products out of the cell, and omega-3 fatty acids form eicosanoids to help regulate bodily processes such as heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood pressure, blood clotting and nervous system activity.
Admittedly, there are some fats that you do need to avoid. If you spend any time at all inspecting the labels of the food you purchase, you are sure to have come across them. The number one most common fat is “saturated fat.” Saturated fats are a sensitive subject, because they are like that one annoying friend that hangs out in the group. They do a lot of dumb things that make you roll your eyes and ask yourself while you keep them around, but they also do some good things that remind you why you put up with the dumb things. It is almost impossible to avoid saturated, because it is in almost all foods – even the healthiest ones – however, you can keep it at a minimum.
Saturated fats are most common in animal products (meat, seafood, whole-milk dairy products, cheeses, poultry skin, and egg yolks), and are solid at room temperature. It is important to limit this type of fat as it has been shown to increase blood cholesterol by increasing both the good HDL (high density lipoprotein) and bad LDL (low density lipoprotein) types of cholesterol. That is why you have to be careful with how much saturated fat you consume. Too much LDL cholesterol, and pretty soon your veins will be clogged up like 100-year-old house piping. Of course, as long as you don’t mind developing heart disease or limiting the amount of oxygen and nutrients that get to your muscles… then don’t worry about it, you can saturate your diet with saturated fats. Who needs those muscles to grow, right? Saturated fats also are more readily stored as body fat compared to the “good fats” we will be talking about later.
We will now talk about why we put up with saturated fats. Saturated fats support the assimilation of calcium into the skeletal system. Keeping your bones healthy is critical when you are challenging your body with massive weights. Saturated fats also strengthen your immune system, and that will keep you from succumbing to the consistent stresses that are put on your system from pounding your body into the ground every day. They support the utilization of essential fatty acids and protect the liver from toxins. For bodybuilders, it is saturated fats link to testosterone production that makes them most important. So, saturated fats aren’t all bad, but do need to be watched carefully. For now, they are a necessary evil that is tough to get away from, so you need to be sure that you limit saturated fats as much as you can.
When reading labels at the store, if you come across the term “trans-fats”, immediately throw the food on the floor and demand it is labelled as a biohazard. Trans-fats… trans-genders… avoid both at all costs. Both contain unwanted surprises. Companies will take normal fats (usually a vegetable oil) and put them though a process that hydrogenates (adds an extra hydrogen molecule) them. It is done to preserve the food and keep it from spoiling or allowing it to maintain its shape for long periods (things like cookies and cakes). The bad part is that it changes the fat chemically, so it is analogous to eating plastic. You know that container that you packed your meal in? Well you might as well eat that too. These fats will lower the good HDL cholesterol while raising the bad LDL.
Studies have shown trans-fats to be associated with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, infertility and other chronic conditions. Your body also has a difficult time digesting them, and they are much more likely to end up stored around your waistline. Trans-fats are very bad for your health, and they impede the function of many of the processes that the good fats help.
Pay attention… unscrupulous food manufacturers can legally mark a product as containing no trans-fats, even if it does contain some. As long as there is less than one-half a gram of trans-fats per serving, then it can be labelled as containing zero trans-fats. The manufacturer simply makes the serving size very small to accommodate the rule. The serving is so tiny, and the normal person consumes many servings at once, and then they end up eating many grams of trans-fats when they thought the food was free of trans-fats.
READ LABELS CAREFULLY! If a product contains “partially hydrogenated” oils in the ingredient list it has trans-fats in it! Take the time to read them even if the package label states the reverse. Again, check your labels carefully and if you see the food contains trans-fats any form of hydrogenated fats… do not eat it!
We mentioned cholesterol when discussing saturated and trans-fats. So, why is it important? Cholesterol is chemically not classified as a fat, it is an alcohol that is found with fats. If blood cholesterol levels become high, your health will be in jeopardy, especially conditions that are associated with the heart. Genetics does play a part too. Some people can eat fat by the barrel and never have issues with high cholesterol, and some can watch their diet carefully while still having cholesterol problems.
There are two types: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). HDL does many good things for your body, while LDL is the evil twin that reaps havoc on your body. So your total cholesterol count is not as important as your HDL to LDL ratio. A certain amount of cholesterol is needed to keep cell membranes stable and functioning correctly. Some cholesterol is needed in the diet to stay healthy purposes.
All of that stuff is fine and dandy, but all bodybuilders give a crap about is one thing: cholesterol is the precursor to all steroid hormones! If you do not consume fat that will allow your body to acquire cholesterol, you will not be manufacturing any of the sex hormones related to building muscle. No cholesterol… no testosterone. No cholesterol… no growth hormone. No cholesterol… no aldosterone. No cholesterol… no pregnenolone (pregnenolone has important functions itself, but is also the precursor to all other steroid hormones). Is the importance of cholesterol sinking in yet?
Cholesterol also supports the production of glucocorticoids and mineralcorticoids. Glucocorticoids are the hormones that regulate blood sugar. If these go out of whack, then your blood sugar levels will be all over the place, which will not only lead to energy production and fat burning problems, but your regulation of insulin will be off as well. This would lead to a whole new series of problems. Mineralcorticoids are the hormones that regulate mineral balance and blood pressure. The balance of minerals in your body has a big effect on the way that your body performs. Think about electrolytes… if they are thrown off balance, you will cramp up repeatedly. That wouldn’t make for a good workout.
You can get plenty of HDL cholesterol when eating the good fats, which are the unsaturated fatty acids known as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Let’s not forget the king of all fats: omega-3 fatty acids. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats keep LDL levels low, which leads to a healthy heart. They can be identified easily, because they remain liquid at room temperature. Monounsaturated fats may turn solid when refrigerated, but at room temperature they will be liquid. Things like corn oil, soybean oil, olive oil, etc, are good examples of these fats. Monounsaturated fats are great for cooking (olive oil) because they can withstand the highest temperatures without oxidizing, so they remain stable and do not easily become hydrogenated or saturated. Polyunsaturated fats are more susceptible to spoiling and foods that contain them will have lower shelf lives than their monounsaturated brothers. On the other hand, polyunsaturated fats (found in vegetable oils such as sunflower and cottonseed oil) have been shown to guard against insulin resistance to keep you safe from diabetes.
Monounsaturated fats can actually promote diabetes if consumed in excessive amounts. This does not mean that you should avoid monounsaturated fats at all. It means that you should avoid eating A LOT of monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats will lower cholesterol levels, promote healthy skin, they may protect against certain cancers, and they help to maintain good overall general health. In addition to olive oil, monounsaturated fat is found in almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts, cashews, avocados, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Many oils and foods such as popcorn, whole grain wheat, oatmeal, and cereal are good sources of monounsaturated fats.
Omega-3 fatty acids are the fats that grab all of the headlines, and rightfully so. They are chemically a polyunsaturated fat and can be found mostly in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines. Omega-3 fats are also found in walnuts, flaxseeds, soybeans and canola oils. Their most nutritionally beneficial forms are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These three are all “essential” fats, which means that your body cannot manufacture them from other nutrients, so the only way to get them is to consume foods that contain them.
Omega-3 fatty acids help the body significantly reduce inflammation, which comes in handy when you are crushing your muscles at the gym on a daily basis. If left alone, inflammation will impede muscle growth and performance. Omega-3s also prevent cancer growth, improve brain function, and promote cell integrity and fluidity to make it easier for nutrients to be transported into cells.
Omega-3 fats (especially in the form of DHA and EPA) also increase the production of prostaglandins, which have many functions in your body. Prostaglandins dilate veins to allow more blood (and thus oxygen and nutrients) to flow, they regulate inflammation, help the body control calcium, control hormone regulation, and they also control cell growth.
Here is something to think about next time that someone tells you to avoid all fats… Have you ever noticed that the vitamin and mineral supplements you buy instruct you to take them with food? Do you wonder why that is? It is because many vitamins and minerals are “fat soluble,” which means you MUST have fats in your system to transport them or else they will end up being excreted as waste! Ever heard of vitamins A, D, E and K? Well, they all require fats to transport them to the body’s tissues. Consume or take all of the fat-soluble vitamins and minerals you want… but if you do not have sufficient fats in your system there will be no way to transport them efficiently. Vitamin D is hard enough to get as it is, you do not want to make it more difficult because you lack the fats needed to process it through your body.
Eating fats will actually help you control your appetite. Fats slow down your digestion, so the carbohydrates that you eat will digest slower keeping your blood glucose levels on check (acting like a low-glycemic carbohydrate). This keeps cravings down as well as regulates insulin. You will also feel fuller for longer periods of time, which is another way to stop you from overeating.
Speaking of overeating… that is what causes excess body fat, not fat itself. The key is to get the proper amounts of proteins, carbohydrates and essential fats for growth while consuming less calories than you burn.
Just be smart about getting your fats. Consume monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and omega-3 fats. If you are going to snack, have things like peanuts, cashews, flax seeds or walnuts. Cook your food in olive or canola oil instead of butter. Use avocados to add flavour instead of cheese. Reduce the amount of red meat you consume and replace it with fresh sardines or mackerel. Just remember to eliminate all trans-fats (hydrogenated fats) and limit saturated fats. Check labels thoroughly and look for “trick” terms like “hydrogenated.” Do this and you will see how fat can help you add muscle as well as burn fat.