The consumption of various fats affects the human body in multiple ways, and their quality plays a greater role than quantity in terms of health effects. Saturated fats consist of chains of fatty acids saturated with hydrogen atoms. They are non-liquid at room temperature. They are found in fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, coconut oil, palm oil, and some processed and packaged foods. Consuming these fats increases harmful cholesterol levels in the blood, leading to heart disease and clogged blood vessels.
Thus, it is recommended to limit their consumption and replace them with unsaturated fats, which are liquid at room temperature and are found in vegetable oils, fish, nuts, and avocados. Trans fats are very harmful as well. They are found in processed and fried foods, and some baked goods. Many countries, including Kuwait, impose restrictions on their use.
Unsaturated fats help lower harmful cholesterol levels and raise beneficial cholesterol levels. They support heart health, reduce inflammation, and improve insulin resistance. In a funny post online, a doctor brilliantly analyzed the function of fats through the following beautiful text: Imagine that our bodies are like a small city. The biggest troublemaker in this city is cholesterol, and it has partners in chaos, the most dangerous of which is triglycerides. Its mission is to roam the streets, wreaking havoc and blocking roads.
Meanwhile, the heart is the center of the city, and all roads lead to it. When the number of these troublemakers increases, they begin to disrupt the heart’s function and impede blood flow. Fortunately, in our physical city, there is a good policeman who arrests troublemakers and imprisons them in the liver. The liver then expels them through the drainage system. In contrast, there is a corrupt cop who frees troublemakers from prison and returns them to the streets! When the number of good cops decreases, chaos reigns in the city! Who would want to live in a city like that?!
Do you want to reduce the number of these troublemakers and increase the number of good cops? Then start walking. With every step, both cholesterol and triglyceride levels decrease, and your body (or your city) comes back to life. Your heart — the center of the city — will remain protected from blockages, and when the heart is healthy, you will be healthy. Whenever you have the opportunity, take a walk, wishing everyone health and wellness — wellness in its eastern sense, not in its western or Moroccan sense, where the meaning becomes ‘fire’. The people of the Levant found a middle ground between the two meanings by combining them in the saying, “Warmth is well,” or “Wellness comes with warmth!”
By Ahmad alsarraf
email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
