Fat

Welcome to the October 1, 2007 edition of healthier living carnival.

Shane Magee presents Dont learn the hard way: three common mistakes for beginners to avoid | allaboutrunning.net > posted at Sri Chinmoy Races blog.

Phil B. presents 9 Suggestions for Exercising More « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "We all want to be healthy and fit, yet we really don't want to exercise. Do we?"

Aparna presents Drumsticks for health posted at Beauty & Personality Grooming, saying, "Health conscious people, who are busy counting calories and spending a fortune on expensive and nutritious foodstuffs, hardly spare a thought to the humble drumstick (sahjan) tree which is a common sight in the gardens of so many Indian homes. Why the special emphasis on 'drumstick' ? Simply, because it is loaded with all the vital health ingredients."

Stanimir Sotirov presents List of 10 foods you should avoid! posted at All About Your Body And Spirit, saying, "10 foods containing lots of fats,saccharose and a high glycemic index, plus a list of foods you can use to substitute them"

fitness

Raymond David Salas presents The Powerful Benefits of Walking posted at ZenChill.com Power Tools Blog.

Living Better presents Using Instant Gratification to Reach Your Goals posted at PlainAdvice.

Doris Chua presents Stand Tall, Sit Tall, and Walk Tall posted at Doris Chua: Organics & Your Health.

general health

Todd Goldfarb presents 7 Step Guide to an Effective Morning Routine posted at We The Change, saying, "heres a good article on establishing effective morning routines, thanks!"

Shaheen Lakhan presents Why You Don't Get The Medical Care You Feel You Deserve - Part I posted at GNIF Brain Blogger.

Donald Mckenzie Jr presents 17 Reasons Why Men Should Keep Low Body Fat posted at Updated Health News, saying, "Men around the world are just as self conscious about their body image as women. However, keeping low body fat is not just for looks, it is also important for health."

Donald Mckenzie Jr presents 5 Benefits of Exercise for Diabetics posted at Updated Health News, saying, "Type 1 and 2 diabetes is a major deal in the United States. Statistics show that more than 14.6 million people are diagnosed with diabetes each year."

Tim Flowers presents What's Your Body Worth? posted at TimFlowers.com, saying, "Tips to optimize your health."

Tristan presents How to Power Nap for Optimal Productivity posted at The Synergy Institute, saying, "In this article, Life Coach Tristan Loo, explains how to use a short 20-minute power nap to maximize personal effectiveness, increase productivity, reduce stress, while promoting good health and vitality."

John Hill presents The Ideal Diet posted at Universe Of Success.

Dan Buglio presents Air Quality Hits Close to Home posted at Indoor Air Quality Tips, saying, "As concerns about outdoor air pollution are on the rise, the Air Quality Index often advises that people spend more of their time indoors on certain day. Yet, few people consider how harmful the air indoors can be. Newer, energy-efficient homes can actually collect and concentrate contaminants. This article talks about the problems and offers some tips for keeping yourself and your family healthy at home."

GrrlScientist presents Running Your Blues Away posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "New evidence suggests that regular exercise can relieve the symptoms of major depression as well as antidepressants can."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Reverence For Life Through Nature posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "An interesting chance meeting with a shaman on the beach in Mexico put into motion a stream of events that could never have been foreseen. This article explores the seeds of creativity, as well as the celebration of all life through nature. (Enjoy soothing instrumental music as you read plus songs with lyrics related to each article – all free.)"

Vanalli presents How what you eat can help you live longer | posted at Nick, saying, "Eat well and live longer -- simple really."

Lynda Lippin presents Pilates & Reiki In Paradise Blog: Why We Just Keep Getting Fatter posted at Pilates & Reiki In Paradise Blog.

Sohail presents Fruits: with or without a meal? posted at The HealthBlogger, saying, "Can fruit be combined with a main meal or is it best to eat fruit separately?"

Joseph presents Modern Motivation posted at Modern Motivation, saying, "According to WebMD, procrastination can also be born of disorganization or forgetfulness. Some procrastinators are perfectionists. They don’t want to do something if they can’t do it perfectly. Even though a desire to not leave things hanging is also a trait of being a perfectionist, these types of people often let tasks pile up because they cannot do them perfectly in the time allotted."

organic food

Todd Goldfarb presents The 5 Greatest Foods For Your Health posted at We The Change, saying, "here's a great article on the most nutritious foods on the planet...enjoy!"

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health.

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In nutrition, polyunsaturated fat is a fatty acid in which more than one double bond exists within the representative molecule. That is, the molecule has two or more points on its structure capable of supporting hydrogen atoms not currently part of the structure.

The lack of the extra hydrogen atoms on the molecule's surface typically reduces the strength of the compound's intermolecular forces, thus causing the melting point of the compound to be significantly lower. This property can be observed by comparing predominately unsaturated vegetable oils, which remain liquid even at relatively low temperatures, to much more saturated fats such as butter or lard which are mainly solid at room temperature.

Polyunsaturated fat, along with monounsaturated fat are "healthy fats," the amount of which in one's daily diet should be near 25 g (in a 2000 calorie-per-day diet). Polyunsaturated fat can be found mostly in grain products, fish and sea food (herring, salmon, mackerel, halibut), soybeans, and fish oil. Foods like mayonnaise and soft margarine may also be good sources, but nutritional facts can vary by style and brand.

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In nutrition, monounsaturated fats are fatty acids with one double-bonded carbon in the molecule, with all of the others single-bonded carbons, in contrast to polyunsaturated fatty acids which have more than one double bond.

Fatty acid fluidity increases with increasing number of double bonds. Therefore, monounsaturated fatty acids have a melting temperature that is higher than that of polyunsaturated fatty acids, but still below that of saturated fatty acids.

Monounsaturated fats are found in natural foods like nuts and avocados, and are the main component of Tea-oil Camellia and olive oil They can also be found in grapeseed oil, ground nut oil, peanut oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil and corn oil. Canola oil is 57%−60% monounsaturated fat, olive oil is about 75% monounsaturated fat whilst Tea-oil Camellia is commonly over 80% monounsaturated fat.

Although polyunsaturated fats protect against cardiovascular disease by providing more membrane fluidity than monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats are more vulnerable to lipid peroxidation (rancidity) than monounsaturated fats. On the other hand, monounsaturated fatty acids (like unsaturated fats) promote insulin resistance, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids are protective against insulin resistance.

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Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are composed of glycerol (commonly referred to as glycerin) and fatty acids (which we'll learn about later). Fats may be either solid or liquid at normal room temperature, depending on their structure and composition.

Examples of edible fats are lard (pig fat), margarine, butter, and cream. Fats are broken down in the body by enzymes called lipases.

There are many different kinds of fats, but each is a variation on the same chemical structure. All fats consist of fatty acids bonded to a backbone structure, often glycerol (a "backbone" of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen). Chemically, this is a triester of glycerol, an ester being the molecule formed from the reaction of the carboxylic acid and an organic alcohol.

The properties of any specific fat molecule depend on the particular fatty acids that constitute it. Different fatty acids are comprised of different numbers of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The carbon atoms, each bonded to two neighboring carbon atoms, form a zigzagging chain; the more carbon atoms there are in any fatty acid, the longer its chain will be. Fatty acids with long chains are more susceptible to intermolecular forces of attraction, raising its melting point. Long chains also yield more energy per molecule when metabolized.

A fat's constituent fatty acids may also differ in the number of hydrogen atoms that are bonded to the chain of carbon atoms. Each carbon atom is typically bonded to two hydrogen atoms. When a fatty acid has this typical arrangement, it is called "saturated", because the carbon atoms are saturated with hydrogen; meaning they are bonded to as many hydrogens as possible. In other fats, a carbon atom may instead bond to only one other hydrogen atom, and have a double bond to a neighboring carbon atom. This results in an "unsaturated" fatty acid. More specifically, it would be a "monounsaturated" fatty acid, whereas, a "polyunsaturated" fatty acid would be a fatty acid with more than one double bond.

Saturated and unsaturated fats differ in their energy content and melting point. Since an unsaturated fat contains fewer carbon-hydrogen bonds than a saturated fat with the same number of carbon atoms, unsaturated fats will yield slightly less energy during metabolism than saturated fats with the same number of carbon atoms. Saturated fats can freeze easily and are typically solid at room temperature.

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be digested, absorbed, and transported in conjunction with fats. Fats are sources of essential fatty acids, an important dietary requirement.

Fats play a vital role in maintaining healthy skin and hair, insulating body organs against shock, maintaining body temperature, and promoting healthy cell function. They also serve as energy stores for the body. Fats are broken down in the body to release glycerol and free fatty acids. The glycerol can be converted to glucose by the liver and thus used as a source of energy.

Fat also serves as a useful buffer towards a host of diseases. When a particular substance, whether chemical or biotic -- reaches unsafe levels in the bloodstream, the body can effectively dilute -- or at least maintain equilibrium of -- the offending substances by storing it in new fat tissue. This helps to protect vital organs, until such time as the offending substances can be metabolized and/or removed from the body by such means as excretion, urination, accidental or intentional bloodletting, sebum excretion, and hair growth.

While it is nearly impossible to remove fat completely from the diet, it would be wrong to do so. Some fatty acids are essential nutrients, meaning that they can't be produced in the body from other compounds and need to be consumed in small amounts. All other fats required by the body are non-essential and can be produced in the body from other compounds.

Text from Wikipedia licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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