The most common dietary advice that doctors repeat is to consume as little fat as possible. Saturated fats found in milk and red meat are harmful when consumed in large amounts. It has been found that they increase the incidence of many diseases, especially harming the human body in cases of diseases such as cancer, heart attack and stroke.
However, it should be noted that not all fats are harmful. The unsaturated fats found in olive oil and other vegetable oils are healthy. There is a special type of fat that has even more beneficial properties because it is vital. They are called essential.
Essential fatty acids, abbreviated as EFAs, are vital ingredients that the body cannot synthesize by itself, but obtains them from external sources. They have an extremely high coefficient of biochemical activity and are critically needed because they actively participate in many processes in the body. A possible lack of EFA can lead to a number of violations of a different nature. The two main and most important fatty acids for mankind are Omega-3 and Omega-6.
Although they are a type of fat, Omega-3 is not fattening. On the contrary, many nutritionists recommend the intake of Omega-3 fatty acids when following a diet for weight reduction, because with their help, the amount of saturated, harmful fats is reduced.
It is important that the Omega-3s are from fish oil, because in this case the valuable fatty acids are readily obtained by the body, while Omega-3s of vegetable origin such as linseed oil, for example, require a long processing process and the effectiveness in many cases is minimal.
Omega-6 fatty acids are linolenic acid, gamma linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, etc. They are derived from sunflower, safflower, corn, evening-primrose and soybeans. Peanut oil, olive oil, palm oil and castor oil also contain some Omega-6. Research shows that they have a stimulating effect on the production of growth hormone.
