Your Key to Fat Health posted by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, DC

Are Your Eating Fat?

There are good fats and bad fats. A major irritant to the digestive tract is Trans fat. These bad trans fats are used in all commercially processed food products. Trans fats take 120 days to break down. Because they take 3 months, they cause an inflammatory reaction in the GI tract and throughout the entire body.  Good dietary fats are used by the body within 18 days to make cell membranes, brain cells and hormones.  

If you want to be healthy you must eat good fat, not Trans fat. Your body needs good fat to function properly. Nearly half of the dry weight of the brain is fat, and a quarter of this is cholesterol. Besides the brain, every cell membrane in the body contains fat, and some of those fats cannot by synthesized -- making it essential to obtain these fats from diet. 

There are two fatty acids which cannot be manufactured in the body, and which must be obtained from dietary sources. These are the essential fatty acids, which are needed by the brain and all cell membranes. The essential fatty acids are found in the diet in only a few food sources: flaxseed, cold water fish, and fish oils.

These highly beneficial fats are called the Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils. The correct dietary ratio for optimal health between these two oils is 2 Omega-6 to 1 Omega-3. Yet, the average American diet has a ratio of 25 Omega-6 to 1 Omega-3.

The liver and gall bladder are responsible for fat metabolism. The liver makes bile, the ingredient necessary for the breakdown of fat. The gall bladder is a storage sac for the bile, and releases the bile as needed into the digestive tract. When fats and oils are not digested properly the body cannot correctly make or use cholesterol, make hormones or bile. 

Poor fat digestion affects the balance of hormones, the formation of vitamins, creates pain and inflammation in the body, alters skin color and texture, and causes digestive difficulties. The body must be able to digest all fats, including the essential fats to achieve optimal health. The answer is not a low fat diet, but to restore the digestive tract to normal function, so that it can digest fat properly. 

Not sure what about your overall digestive function or what fats your might need in your diet? There is a simple way to find out. Get checked by Dr. Sherry Yale, DC at TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia, MI if you are not sure what fats are best for you to eat. Dr Yale uses a simple, non-invasive method called NRT or Nutrition Response Testing to evaluate what your individual body needs are, and what fats your body wants. 

If you live in any of the surrounding cities of Detroit including Farmington, Farmington Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Novi Redford etc. contact Dr. Yale today at (734) 664 - 0339 to schedule your no charge initial consultation and screening evaluation to determine what your Key to Fat Health is.