What Happens if You Don't Eat Enough Fat?
By Sara Butler
Fat has gotten a bad reputation when it comes to eating healthy. Contrary to what you may have heard some years ago, your body needs fat in order to stay healthy. That doesn’t mean you should eat a pound of bacon every day, but it does mean you should be paying attention to the healthy fats you’re getting in your diet and make sure you’re getting enough of them. Here’s how you might be able to tell if you don’t get enough of the good stuff.
You’re Hungry – All the Time
If you’re not eating a balanced diet, then your body is going to try to make it up somewhere. Not getting enough fat (or carbs, or protein) means your body isn’t getting enough calories. People who eat less fat tend to eat more carbs, and more carbs with less fat is a combination that can leave you feeling hungry a lot.
The reason for this is your blood sugar won’t be stable. Carbs can cause a spike in your blood sugar – a spike that will rapidly decline and leave you hungry, even if you ate not too long ago. Your body seeks balance, and if you’re not giving it, then it will try to find it in any misguided way it can. When you eat enough fat, it helps you to feel full and satisfied, slowing digestion.
Your Heart May Not Be Healthy
Monounsaturated fats are good for your heart. The Mayo Clinic has reported that monounsaturated fats increase the levels of good cholesterol in your blood while at the same time decreasing triglycerides. This means the risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke decreases. If you don’t get enough monounsaturated fats, then you won’t get the heart benefits from them!
You Eat More Sugar
People have thought for a long time that reducing how much saturated fat you have in your diet will decrease your risk of heart disease, but that’s no longer the right information. It turns out that sugar, especially refined sugar, puts you at higher risk of developing heart disease than saturated fats do. So, if you’re not eating a balanced diet and watching your intake of refined sugar, then you could be in trouble!
The point of this is that an unbalanced diet is bad for you. You need good fats, good carbs, and good proteins in your diet every single day in order to provide your body with what it needs.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.