Is saturated fats bad for atheletes?
There are some fats that are necessary for the body to function and you should be including them in your diet. It is important to understand which fats you should be leaving out of your meals and which should be going in. There are two main groups of fats—saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are semi-solid at room temperature and are found in animal products, such as red meat, pork, lamb, lard and dairy products like milk, cheese and butter, as well as in processed foods. They are generally considered “bad” fats, as they can contribute to heart disease; therefore, most health authorities recommend a reduction of saturated fats in the diet. However, not all saturated fats are created equally. There are three subgroups of saturated fats based on their fat chain length: short-chain, medium-chain and long-chain. Short-chain saturates, found in butter, coconut oil and palm kernel oil, do not clog arteries, nor do they cause heart disease. Rather, they are easily digested and a source o
