We’re bombarded with messages that we all have to get leaner, fitter and say goodbye to our body fat. But, like everything else in our body, fat is there for a reason, right? So what is fat, what does it do, and is it really as bad as everyone claims?
Why we need fat
Until recently, we knew less about our fat than about any other organ in the body. Yes, fat is an organ, just like our heart and lungs.
For many years, it was thought fat was little more than a layer of insulation, a blanket of blubber that protects our internal organs from the cold and from bumps and jolts. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Fat is not only one of the largest organs in the body, but it’s an essential one. It provides our other organs with a continuous supply of fuel if we haven’t eaten in a while.
It also produces countless hormones and releases substances into the blood to allow it to communicate remotely with other organs, such as the brain. For example, it produces hormones that curb your appetite if you’ve just eaten a big plate of chips, so you don’t keep eating endlessly. Handy, huh?
(Image: skynesher)
When fat becomes a problem
As long as it remains within reason in terms of size, fat will be your friend and keep you healthy. But if you have too little or too much fat, it can become your nemesis. When you’re underweight, your fat doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones, which leads to a hormonal imbalance that can even result in infertility.
And when you’re overweight, your fat releases excessive amounts of unhealthy hormones and substances that interfere with all kinds of bodily processes and make you sick. Conditions linked to being overweight include Type 2 diabetes, infertility, depression and some kinds of cancer.
Obesity is determined using the ratio between your height and weight, which is known as the body mass index (BMI).
Your BMI is calculated as your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres. BMI is divided into the following categories for both men and women:
Below 18.5 = underweight
18.5–24.9 = healthy weight
25–29.9 = overweight
30–34.9 = obesity (class i)
35–39.9 = obesity (class ii)
Over 40 = obesity (class iii) or morbid obesity
Although BMI is a handy way to quickly calculate whether a person is in the ‘safe zone’, it can sometimes be misleading – such as in the case of a person who does bodybuilding and has lots of muscle mass. Since muscle is heavier than fat, such a person can have a high BMI, even though they have a healthy amount of body fat.
Waist size
BMI tells us nothing about where the excess body fat is located. Body fat in the belly, around the organs, is more harmful than subcutaneous body fat (just under the skin). Measuring waist circumference will provide an indication of this.
In men, a circumference greater than 37in (94cm) indicates overweight, and greater than 40in (102cm) obesity. In women, a circumference greater than 31.5in (80cm) indicates overweight, and greater than 34.5in (88cm) obesity.
(Image: Getty Images)
Feel full for longer to maintain a good amount of fat
We all know that diet and exercise play a major role in maintaining a healthy weight, but it can still be hard to refuse that dessert at the end of a meal. Hopefully, the following tips will make it easier for you to hold your own in a world filled with tempting food.
Some foods send your brain a strong signal to let it know you’re full. Follow these recommendations to feel full faster and for longer.
– Choose unprocessed food products as often as possible. These induce a normal decrease of the hunger hormone ghrelin and an earlier satiety signal – in contrast to ultra-processed food from the supermarket.
– Add an egg (contains lots of protein), oatmeal (rich in fibre and protein) or some unsalted nuts (in addition to protein, they also contain healthy unsaturated fatty acids) to your breakfast so you feel full until lunchtime.
– Try using fermented products (pickled gherkins and sauerkraut) and chilli powder (1 teaspoon with your meal) to stimulate your metabolism.
(Image: Irina Marwan)
– Add half an avocado or some legumes (chickpeas, lentils or beans) to your lunch.
– Have a cup of low-calorie soup or a glass of water (preferably cold) before meals.
– Eat mindfully. In other words, not in front of the TV. Instead, use your senses to alert your brain to the fact that food is coming in, so your satiety system can be activated on time.
– Since it takes an average of 20 minutes for your satiety hormones to kick in, it helps to eat slowly and chew your food for a long time. Pay attention to how often you usually chew (four times? Eight times?) before swallowing your food and try doubling or tripling this.
– Eat from a smaller plate (the optical illusion helps you feel fuller) and with smaller utensils (this helps you eat more slowly because there is less food per bite). In this way, you’ll give your body more time to produce the satiety signals.
– Portion out food onto plates in the kitchen or if you’re serving the food at the table, make sure it’s just enough so the aroma of food in the pan doesn’t keep whetting your appetite.
– Fat: The Secret Organ (Quercus, £16.99), by Mariëtte Boon and Liesbeth van Rossum, is out now
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