The word fat is a taboo. Above all for women. It is pronounced with fear and is immediately associated with excess weight, fast food, fried food or those small pleasures that make you feel guilty. Fat is a generic term used for different types of lipids, which are nutrients that, in measured doses, should form part of a balanced diet. Our body uses fat as a reserve energy, which is activated after 20 minutes of exercise. Lipids carry out important functions in the structure of the cells and are vital in maintaining the skin and hair healthy. They oil up the joints and diminish the oxidative stress in the membrane of our cells. Furthermore, they help to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K, the entitled liposoluble vitamins. The extraction of fat from food also depends on the generation of essential fatty acids, called this because the body can’t produce them for itself and doesn’t work adequately without them. They are necessary for the development of the brain, the control of inflammatory response or the clotting of the blood.

In general, three types of fats are usually highlighted:

• Saturated fats, which are derived from animal products such as butter, cheese, full fat milk, creams and meats with a lot of fat and some vegetable oils such as coconut and palm oil. These fats are those that make the bad cholesterol rise (LDL), and therefore their consumption should not represent more than 10% of the total daily calories, otherwise you could suffer from terrible effects on the cardiovascular system.
•  Unsaturated fats, that can lower the LDL cholesterol and therefore reduce the risk of heart disease. This is the type that is present in the majority of vegetable oils such as olive, sunflower, corn or soya oil.
•  Trans fatty acids, which are extracted from vegetable oils through a hydrogenation process to increase their resistance against the passing of time (as a preservative in fresh food) or against the repeated and prolonged exposure to high temperatures in the industrial-use fryers. As well as making the bad cholesterol rise, they can contribute to making the good cholesterol (HDL) go down. This is the reason why food prepared with hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils should be removed from your diet. These are often found in fried food, ready-cooked products, industrial-oven cooked products, some margarines and other processed foods

We recommend three foods that you can easily incorporate into your diet, that are a delicious source of unsaturated fats and that will also make you more beautiful:

1. Avocado: It is the perfect example of how a food that is rich in fats can form part of a diet to lose weight. It has a creamy texture, is soft on the palate and is full of healthy oils. It is also used to prepare homemade face masks that leave your skin smooth and resilient.
2. Olives: the basis of olive oil and a delicious snack. They are a natural source of vitamin E, that helps to repair connective tissue, reducing expression lines and improving the circulatory system.
3. Seeds and dried fruits: as well as different types of oils, they provide numerous micronutrients and their consumption is very beneficial as a complement to a healthy and varied diet. They are also used in the preparation of face masks, creams and homemade oils.