A recent research article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published on the Women's Health website states: "Replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated fat can increase body fat by up to 15%. Physical activity level ”
What is the content of the experiment? And which foods are monounsaturated fats?
The method of the study was "32 young adults were served a meal using oil containing a high unit of saturated fatty acid "palmitic acid". They ate this meal for three weeks and then took a week off. The same meal was then served, except that the oil was Change to a high-unit monounsaturated fat "oleic acid" and continue the same diet for three weeks."
Throughout the study, participants had accelerometers tracked on their waists, allowing researchers to observe their physical activity. When they eat a diet high in monounsaturated fat, their physical fitness levels increase by 12 to 15% compared to when they eat a meal containing saturated fat. More importantly, participants' resting metabolism will increase faster.
Further investigation revealed that during the rapid sweating phase, researchers would ask participants to answer some questions to investigate their psychological state. Researchers found that when participants ate a diet high in saturated fats, they were angrier and more hostile toward being interviewed.
The Western diet is mainly based on meat and dairy products and contains a lot of saturated fatty acids. This kind of diet is not recommended, but it is still popular in the United States. This study points out that the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in unsaturated fats, will cause changes in our bodies and behaviors to make us leaner.
Inflammation in the body affects brain chemicals that control mood and activity, and unsaturated fatty acids regulate inflammation in the body. In addition, past research has shown that unsaturated fatty acids can promote weight loss, increase the feel-good serotonin "serotonin", and increase muscle mass.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states that 20% of total daily calories should come from unsaturated fat, and saturated fat intake should not exceed 7% of total daily calories.
The article introduces 4 kinds of food:
Peanuts – Peanuts contain more unsaturated fat than other legumes.
Olives – You may have heard about the amazing health benefits of olive oil, but it’s also delicious. Olives are full of unsaturated fat - oleic acid.
Avocado – The smooth texture of avocado comes from its rich unsaturated fat.
Dark chocolate – Dark chocolate containing more than 60% cocoa contains unsaturated fats that are good for the human body, but it is important to choose a moderate sweetness to avoid taking in too many calories.
This is a research report, but how to eat it correctly is beyond the scope of discussion here.