Reasons Why Fat Is Good For You

Many people are obsessed with getting an ideal body shape, with less fat. While exercise and keeping a tab on weight is very important, having a little fat is good for your overall health. Fat in the body has its own important role to play. Let us find out.

Benefit of fats

Why is fat good?
According to Ayurveda, body fat is one among the “Dhatu”. It is a building block of the body.

• Helps in maintaining the temperature of the body and organs such as liver, stomach etc. This process is called as thermal insulation.
• Fat acts as a ready energy source, in cases of hunger, fasting etc.
• Fat helps the body to meet energy requirements.
• Fat helps in transportation of Fat-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamin A, D, E and K.
• Fat contributes to the satiety of the meal. If a meal has an adequate amount of fat, then only hunger will be satiated.
• Fat is one of the components of cell membrane.
• Our brain cells are covered with a fat sheath.
• In females, a minimum of 17 % of body fat is required for the initiation of menstrual cycles (menarche) and 22 % body fat is required for the maintenance of menstrual cycles.

Why a perfect figure is not equivalent to a perfect health?

• The people whom we see and idealize on TVs and Movies, with perfect slim figure, are not actually healthy.
• Lack of body fat or excessive exercises causes Vata imbalance.
• It results in increased appetite, fatigue, anxiety, body aches and pains.

Bottom line:

Exercise, body fat control, diet to lose fat etc are very good as long as total body fat loss is not the goal.