Balanced nutrition
5 warning signs that you are not eating enough fat
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For a long time fat has been demonized as a fattening food. We need it to stay healthy. These warning signals will tell you that you are low on fat.
A healthy and balanced diet must provide the body with all the necessary nutrients. But that’s not that easy … Because the diet industry has been telling us for decades that certain food components, especially carbohydrates and fat, are harmful. Our body also needs these in order to be healthy and fully functional. For example, if we remove fat from our menu, this can lead to deficiency symptoms.
Why does our body need fat?
Fat is essential to various health processes. Some examples:
- Our brains and eyes need fat. In particular, the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are involved in keeping our brain, retinas and central nervous system healthy. These fatty acids are essential – so our body needs them but cannot produce them itself. Therefore we have to get them through food.
- Fat provides us with energy. Each gram of fat from food provides our body with nine calories of energy, while each gram of carbohydrate or protein provides only four calories.
- With fat, the body can absorb some vitamins better. Vitamins A, D, E and K, for example, are fat-soluble – our body can only properly absorb and process them with fat.
- Our bodies need fat to produce hormones. Fatty foods are necessary to produce sex hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, for example.
- Fat plays an important role in wound healing. The body needs essential fatty acids for blood to clot and for wounds to heal.
Do you eat enough fat These 5 signs speak against it
1. Very dry skin + dermatitis
A lack of fat can make itself felt on our skin. Since oil is important for our skin cells and contributes to the natural moisture barrier, too little oil can dry out and excessively irritate the skin. In the worst case, it can according to studies can even lead to dermatitis, an inflammatory disorder of the skin with redness and itching.
2. Hair loss
Just like the skin, our hair also needs fat from food. The tissue hormones prostaglandins are fatty compounds that play an important role in hair growth. Therefore, a lack of fat can lead to hair loss on the head and also on the eyebrows, like Studies proven to have.
3. Frequent bruises
As mentioned earlier, fat is necessary to properly absorb certain vitamins. These are above all the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. If we eat too little fat, this can lead to a deficiency in these substances – which can manifest itself in frequent bruises or bruises.
4. Slowed wound healing
In order for our body’s inflammatory response to function properly, it needs fat. Because it is the basis for important molecules to control this reaction. Researches have confirmed that too little fat from food can inhibit the inflammatory reaction and blood clotting. This in turn leads to slower wound healing.
5. Weak immune system
Do you often catch a cold? A weakened immune system can also be related to insufficient fat intake from food. The body produces molecules from fat that stimulate our immune cells. Above all, the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid and the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid play an important role here. If they are missing, it weakens our immune system.
What is the daily fat requirement through food?
The recommendation of the German Nutrition Society is that we should get around 30 percent of our daily energy intake from fat. An example: A woman around 30 who does not work physically but has a desk job has an energy requirement of around 1,800 calories. Of this, about 58 grams should be fat – the equivalent of about three tablespoons of oil, one tablespoon of butter or margarine, two slices of cheese and an egg. With 2,000 calories, there should be about 66 grams of fat.
But of course there are big differences in the fats. Hydrogenated trans fats, for example – which are mainly found in ready meals and the like – you should better avoid. And saturated fatty acids, which you find mainly in animal products such as eggs, milk or meat, should also be consumed in moderation. Because they increase the cholesterol levels, both those of the “good” HDL cholesterol and those of the “bad” LDL cholesterol. The lion’s share of your daily fat requirement should best be obtained from the healthier unsaturated fatty acids – from olive oil, avocado, nuts or fatty fish such as mackerel.
Sources used: Sources used: healthline.com, ernaherung.de, German Society for Nutrition