The Big Fat Truth!

An interesting article caught my eye this week "Fat mothers are more likely to have overweight children". (Daily Mail) The article was essentially about new research that concluded that over weight mothers-to-be are more likely to have children who suffer weight problems.

The research conducted at the University of Southampton found that women who were overweight during pregnancy were more likely to have heavier children by the age of nine. This comes as the UK is facing an obesity crisis, with one in every four adults clinically obese.

This confirms the value of keeping an active lifestyle from a very young age.

The second fat truth -

So... talking of fat, does the fat we eat make us fat? Do we actually need fat? I was asked this question while presenting a lecture on health and wellness in the workplace. It seems the fat issue has got most of us in a muddle!

Any nutrient consumed in large quantities, if not burned up by exercise, will be converted into fat. Although protein is not fat, eating large amounts of protein will later be stored as body fat. Fat does have double the amount of calories than protein, so if you are watching your calorie intake it may be a good idea to limit your fat intake. But don't fall into eliminating all fat, our bodies need fat to survive. Fat serves as an energy source as well as a protective cushion for our bones and organs and helps to keep skin and hair glowing. Fat will also help your body to absorb vitamins, and it will keep your brain sharper too!