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In this modern age, more thrust is being given to totally avoid or restrict the intake of fat or be conscious of fat, primarily to avoid being obese and/or maintain the body in a trim way.

Avoiding fat altogether is not a wise solution and some sort of fat is essential for the body, is what many nutitionists and doctors prescribe.

Are fats really that harmful? What actually are they and what is their role in our body and health?

Fat is nothing but energy in a highly concentrated form. Foods having too much of fat content do contain a number of calories, and increased consumption of more fat results in accumulation of calories in excess of what we burn on a normal day out, and this excess fat content might result in obesity. In addition, higher fat content in the body leads to heart related diseases and also increases the cholesterol content in the blood.

Fearing for obesity or other ailments, one should not avoid taking fat content on a daily basis, reiterate the doctors and nutitionists. Why?

Fat is vital for the effective functioning of the body. Fatty tissues present in the body act as a storehouse for essential vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Vitamin E, which are soluble in fat. Fat is essentially required to produce some hormones, stimulates the activities in the gall bladder and also ensures that the nervous system is functioning effectively. By storing fat in the form of layers beneath the skin, one can feel the warmth of the body.

There is one compelling reason why one should take some sort of fat in a daily dosage of meals to the body. The body cannot synthesize two fatty acids in the body on its own. They are nothing but linnleic acid and linolenic acid. These two acids are very essential, similar to the 24 amino acids in protein, for the body and are called as “essential fatty acids”.

Cholesterol is one of the outcomes of fat. It is nothing but a fat-based molecule whichis effectively used as a building block for hormones and cell membranes in the body. This cholesterol is found in our blood in two different forms. One is the low-density LDL cholesterol molecules, that are capable of seeping into the artery walls because of their small size and harden the arteries. The other form is the high-density HDL cholesterol molecules. As the name suggests, these HDL cholesterol molecules remain in the blood stream as they are too big to seep in to the artery walls. It is the LDL cholesterol that is harmful. HDL cholesterol molecules, to some extent, help in mopping up the LDL cholesterol molecules.

What are the types of fat and where we can get the ideal fat required for the boy?

Fats can be broadly classified into three types – saturated fat; mono- unsaturated fat; and poly-unsaturated fat.

Saturated fats are found mostly from sources of animal origin such as butter, cream and meat. Plant sources are contribute to some saturated fats and those include palm oil and coconut oil. Most of the saturated fats are considered to be unhealthy as they are perceived to increase the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood.

The two other varieties of unsaturated fats – mono-unsaturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats – are relatively better than the saturated fat varieties. It is these unsaturated fats that supply the essential fatty acids to the body which cannot synthesize itself these acids.

Mono-unsaturated fats found in olive oil, avacados etc., are considered to be more stable, and also less prone to randicity. These fats help in reducing the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood and also help in increasing the level of beneficial HDL cholesterol in the blood stream.

Poly-unsaturated fats,on the hand, are found to be unstable and more prone to become rancid quickly and also lead to formation of carcinogenic chemicals. Poly-unsaturated fat is available mainly from plant sources such as corn oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil.

With a better understanding of the fats and their relative importance, one can moderate his intake of foods that include essentially fatty acids and the calories that are created from the food consumed are effectively burned out and there is little or no excess calorie content in the body at any point of time.

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We all know that the food we eat contain the vital proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals that are required for the energy requirement of the body and the sustenance of life.

How important is the role of carbohydrates ?

The primary source of energy for a body is from the carbohydrates. This energy to the body is measured in terms of calories. It is this calories that we need to do our activities in the life on a daily basis – be it working out on a gym, or even sleeping at the bed.

As a major nutrient to the body, carbohydrates can be categorized into three broad categories.

They are – i) mono saccharides, (ii) disaccharides, and (iii) complex carbohydrates.

Mono saccharides, also referred to as simple sugars, include fructose and glucose, that are required for the body. Di saccharides include sucrose, lactose and maltose. The third category – complex carbohydrates – include starch, fiber, glycogen and cellulose.

While all the three categories of carbohydrates provide a lot of calories and the energy for the body, it is the complex carbohydrates that matter the most and should be included in a healthy diet on a daily basis.

The sugars present in mono saccharides and disaccharides do provide a lot of calories. However, these sugars, also referred to as “empty calories”, either lack or have very low content of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients required for the body. In addition, excessive consumption of these empty calories in the form of sugars can lead to many health related problems such as hie cholesterol levels. Obesity and tooth decay.

The third category – complex carbohydrates – are the one that needs to be consumed the most, among the carbohydrates, primarily because they not only provide the energy in the form of calories, but also contain a whole lot of nutrients that include minerals, vitamins and proteins.

The major source of complex carbohydrates that one should include in his diet is plant-based foods such as potatoes, wholegrains such as rice as well as wheat and by-products of wholegrains such as flour, bread, pasta etc., and also pulses such as peas, lentils, beans etc.,

Substances that are found in plant foods such as starch are referred to as fiber, or dietary fiber. The salient feature of starch or dietary fiber is that it is absorbed into the body slowly, thus ensuring that the body gets sustained levels of energy for a longer period of time than sudden boosts of energy. In addition, the starches are slightly bulkier to eat, and is likely to occupy more space in the stomach, giving a sense of fullness and keeping you satisfied for a relatively longer time.

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It is bliss, nevertheless, to have a healthy physique and body that perfectly fits with the height and weight. In other words, one can feel proud of himself if his BMI or the Body Mass Index is within the prescribed limits.

In this fast-paced world, where man runs from pillar to post and keeps himself always busy in his pursuit of goals and achievements, proper care or attention needed for this body, without which we cannot live, is not given. Insufficient or untimely meals, lack of exercise to the body and lack of good sound sleep are some of the reasons for irregular BMI, resulting in either obesity or in cases of underweight.

Though, in relative terms, the menace of underweight is much less in comparison to that of over-weight or obesity, it is, nevertheless, a serious issue, which needs your sincere attention and care.

Before knowing more about the remedies for underweight, let us define what we mean by underweight, in the first instance. A minor deviation in the BMI on the lower side might not tantamount to underweight and this temporary deviation might be corrected without any major problems. In medical parlance, a person is said to be Underweight, if his weight is lower by 15% or more than the minimum prescribed lower end of the BMI or any other equivalent scale by which doctors assess the weight of a person.

Underweight, thus defined, should be taken up seriously and effective measures should be taken to correct this imbalance. Any negligence in attending this issue might lead to serious health hazards. People with underweight, or in other words, people who are very thin would lack reserves of energy and, as such, might fall prey to infections. These thin people suffer frequently from cold, because of the lack of insulating fat in the body. It has been found that people, who were admitted to hospital for any disease or ailment, if found to be underweight or having weight less than 80% of the minimum desired weight, are more at risk for further complications. If a person is found to be so weak or underweight that he cannot even get up and walk and thus confined to bed, may, over a period of time, develop soreness or some sort of pressure sores especially in the bony areas of the body – leading to more complications.

Pregnant women or would-be mothers should be very careful and should not suffer from this menace of underweight. If underweight during pregnancy, the woman might fall prey to diseases like heart and lung complications or anemia. The baby in the mother’s womb might also contract complications such as premature birth, low weight at birth and slow growth and development.

One can, however, need not panic or get worried about underweight. A careful analysis and planning of food-intake can help you overcome the problem.

The first thing an underweight person should do is to reduce the intake of alcohol and caffeine. It would be better if he totally avoids these two, but it might be too taxing for restriction all together. He can gradually reduce the intake without totally ignoring it. Because, alcohol and caffeine are two things that are capable of suppressing your appetite for eating and without adequate amount of food, you are unlikely to put on weight and maintain a good physique. Secondly, one should avoid the practice of chronic dieting or reducing the intake of food at the appropriate time in appropriate quantities. This will also lead to underweight over a period.

In addition to following or avoiding the above-mentioned things, one should plan your food intake and the content of food you eat, on a daily basis.

You should increase the content of dietary calories from fat and the content of dietary fat. It has been discovered that increasing the dietary fat content, especially if you underweight, results in more calorie intake, because dietary fat contains more than double the quantity of calories in comparison with carbohydrates and proteins.

You should also increase the portion of food intake that has more calorie content in a gradual basis until such time you get to normal prescribed weight. If you overdo this, you might end up as an overweight or obese. Please ensure that you do not become an obese.

Last, but not the least, augment your food intake with more liquids or liquid supplements.\

By trying out these simple suggestions and reducing the alcohol and caffeine intake, one can definitely overcome the menace of underweight and can get a healthy physique.

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