Yeah, you heard me, more fat.
The idea that you could need more fat in your diet must sound antithetical to the basic precepts of good health, right? While fat has amassed a pretty bad rap over the years as the first sign of poor health, it’s important to remember that you can’t be healthy with no fat at all. Your body needs its essential fats, or it can’t process any of the other vital vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy. You could eat a whole truckload of carrots, but without fat, your body wouldn’t even be able to use all that vitamin A.
Take a look at the quality of your skin and hair. Is your skin prone to inflammation and swelling, or scaly rashes? Is your hair fragile and easily lost? These are classic signs of a fat deficiency. Your skin and hair need certain fat molecules to keep themselves healthy and bouncy. Fat cells are a vital piece in the production of collagen, the protein that protects your skin. No fat, no collagen, bad skin.
How does your body feel in general? Are you prone to chronic fatigue and weakness? Do you find yourself getting sick more frequently? That’s another sign of low fat. As I mentioned before, fat is required for your body to process vital nutrients. Even if you were to pound an entire jar of vitamin C gummies, you body wouldn’t be able to use it all, which will leave you more open to illness and disease. Less fat also means reduced satiation after eating, so your body will still crave food and energy, leading to both physical and mental fatigue.
Fat is an important part of a balanced diet. You don’t need to go overboard; a regular serving of foods rich in non-saturated fats like nuts and seeds will get your body the essential fat it needs.
