Effects of foods with saturated fat and sugar

Industrial food is a very attractive and unhealthy food. Moreover, it is rich in saturated fat and sugars. It is also accompanied by strong marketing campaigns to promote it. However, we should not abandon our healthy eating habits, and therefore our Mediterranean diet. Since the Mediterranean diet is rich in plant products and foods such as olive oil, it is perfect for protecting our health. On the contrary, more industrial food is low in nutrients and rich in unhealthy foods.

Summary: The importance of a good diet to stay healthy and avoid health problems. Also, the effects that saturated fats have on our health and how we should avoid them. Finally, in our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid you have at your disposal a fantastic selection of the healthiest and most renowned oils; Casas de Hualdo, Castillo de Canena, Oro Bailen, Oro del Desierto…

Related articles: Where to buy olive oil

1. Problems with poor nutrition

Do you really eat when you are hungry, are you tempted to eat when you pass by a fast food restaurant, with crispy, tasty food advertising and see other people eating?. Furthermore, can’t you resist the convenience food and industrial pastries you find in supermarkets, bakeries or other shops? All these foods are rich in saturated fats and sugar.

The increase in fast food consumption is also due to the following factors:

1. the multiplication of fast food restaurants with the sale of pre-cooked or ready-to-eat products in all population centres
2. marketing and design techniques used to capture and direct our minds and induce us to compulsive buying.

These two points are transforming Spanish society. A transformation that goes far beyond food. A transformation that is burying our Mediterranean diet with its healthy olive oil and lifestyle.

This lifestyle and way of eating is causing an epidemic in global society, affecting both adults and young people in all countries. Although previously considered a problem that only affected industrialised countries. However, it has now spread to low- and middle-income countries as well.

This epidemic of overweight and obesity was previously associated by scientists and physicians only with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer diseases. However, the scientific community is now also associating them with brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and other types of cognitive impairment.

2. Are saturated fats good or bad?

According to research, children who eat a diet rich in saturated fat and it builds up in their body may have some kind of memory deficiency.

These conclusions are being drawn from several studies with laboratory mice, which are being subjected to a diet high in saturated fat and sugar. The results of these studies show that these mice that follow this diet suffer a weakening of their blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a collection of cells, blood vessels, and the nervous system. These prevent many toxic substances from entering the brain from the bloodstream, which can affect the brain.

To determine which parts of the brain were most susceptible to the effects of a weakening of the blood-brain barrier, a small amount of dye was injected into the bloodstream in these mice. Then it was observed in which parts of the brain the dyes were deposited. In overweight rats, the dye was deposited in the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for learning and memory.

Another consequence of accumulation of such substances was that the hippocampus became inflamed and its electrochemical activity changed. As a result, these rats suffered partial deficiencies in the use of their processed information in the hippocampus.

The question scientists ask themselves is, does this dysfunction of the hippocampus produce an alteration in our body’s ability to control the signals that indicate our satiety? Scientists think so. One of the functions of the hippocampus is to regulate the internal psychological signals that indicate whether or not we need to eat more food, satiety. Mice and people who have damaged their hippocampus seem to have difficulty using these signals. In addition, along with the presence of powerful propaganda campaigns that induce and direct us to eat, they can lead us to an overfeeding.

a) Satiety control

Furthermore, according to these results, this process can be a vicious cycle. If we eat a diet rich in saturated fats and sugar like the American diet, could create a dysfunction of the hippocampus. As a consequence, it should the signs that we are satiated. In addition, along with the external signs of propaganda and marketing which induce us to consume more foods rich in saturated fat and sugar. Also, it would lead us to consume more products rich in fat and sugar. Furthermore, this in turn would weaken the hippocampus further, creating this vicious cycle, and consuming more food again, until we develop obesity or overweight and other cognitive deficiencies.

Saturated fat

Picture 1: Comparison of a diet high in saturated fat with a diet high in healthy fat, including olive oil

3. Should we follow a diet without saturated fat?

Not eating any food without saturated fat is not easy. Even extra virgin olive oil contains a small proportion of saturated fat. What we must do is abandon all food or industrial diet, which is rich in saturated fats and refined sugars. All of them providing us with a large amount of calories without any nutrients and as research shows, causing us many diseases.

In conclusion, what we can not abandon one of the healthiest diets in the world, the Mediterranean diet, rich in fish, vegetables, fruits and olive oil. In addition, the ideal is to replace most fats with extra virgin olive oil. Oil, which is proven by many scientific studies to be the healthiest of all.

From our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid we offer you the best selection of extra virgin olive oils in Spain.

4. Effects on the environment

According to new studies, the use of these saturated fats and processed foods is not good for the environment either. Since they use food from monocultures that end up depleting biodiversity.

In addition, ultra-processed foods are very poor in nutrients, impoverishing our diet.

On the other hand, there are some 7,000 edible plants, but 90% of the current food supply comes from only 15 crop species. In addition, of these, rice, maize and wheat provide food for 50 percent of the world’s population.

Sources:

The newspaper el país http://politica.elpais.com/