Monounsaturated Fats • Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) actually assist you with losing belly fat.
There have been numerous articles published about their effects.
MUFAs affect the way the body handles fat and aid in preventing central fat-distribution.
• More than weight loss, there are many health benefits that MUFAs provide.
Lipoproteins are a combination of lipids (fats) and protein, and low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or bad cholesterol as they are collectively and commonly referred to, are lowered by MUFAs.
At the same time MUFAs also aid in increasing high-density lipoproteins (HDL) or good cholesterol.
Our bodies require both LDLs and HDLS but in stable amounts where LDLS are kept low and HDLs occur in higher levels - and as high cholesterol has been linked to such health problems as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure to name a few - keeping LDLs low is paramount to your health.
• The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) published a study outlining the merit in recommending a moderate fat-and-weight-loss diet.
Those on low-fat diets had similar weight loss to those consuming a moderate-fat diet, however low-fat dieters showed an increase in triglycerides - the main component of most of the fats we consume - along with a decrease in HDLs.
Moderate-fat dieters showed no change in HDL levels, whereas their triglyceride and LDL counts decreased (Pelkman, C.
L.
et al.
, 2004).
What does this mean? Continuing to have a moderate amount of the right fats in your diet is fundamental to your overall cardiovascular health! • Some examples of foods high in MUFAs are olives, olive oil, canola oil, soy bean oil, nuts and nut oils (i.
e.
peanut oil), and avocados.