Kareena Kapoor's Nutritionist Talks About 3 Fats That You Should Re-Introduce In Your Diet

Fats: You must include coconut in your daily diet, here's why

Do you include enough fats in your diet? Have fad diets made you believe that fats make you fat and thus you should exclude them from your diet? Then this is definitely the right place for you. Fats are important to give energy to your body and support cell growth. They help in keeping the body warm and offers protection to organs. What's more is that fats are needed for fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E and K, which can be absorbed in the body only in the presence of certain fats. Presence of these vitamins is required for healthy eyes, bones, skin, wound healing and much more. Highlighting the importance of fats is celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar on social media.

She shares a post to talk about 3 fats that you should bring back in your daily diet: kacchi ghaani oil; coconut for garnishing or chutney and cashews as a mid-meal snack or to be munched with milk at night before sleeping.

Also read: The Truth About Fats And Why They Are Extremely Important For You

3 fats you need to bring back in your diet

1. Tadka in kacchi ghani oils

Rujuta says that the tadka for your dals and sabzis must be prepared in oils that are native to your region. For instance, people in north and north-east India should prepare their tadkas in mustard oil, those in central and western parts of India should prepare their food in groundnut or sesame oil, and people in South India should prepare their food in coconut oil. This is important because the native recipes of every region can be fine-tuned to fatty acid and nutrition composition of oils. This can be helpful in making the best of what you eat. Cooking in the oil of your region is an important step in healthy cooking and healthy eating.

(Besides, nutritionists and health experts are of the belief that you should keep changing your cooking oils every two or three months, or as often as you can. This is because each variety of cooking oil contains different fatty acids and nearly all of them are important for your body.)

Also read: These Are The Fats You Should Be Eating

For weight loss and weight management, practice portion control. Avoid food dripping with oil, but don't eat food cooked in 1 tsp oil as well. Try to maintain a balance as it is important for you to get sufficient fats from your diet. Also, adding ghee to your diet comes with the added benefit of delicious taste, and antioxidants properties that can protect you from damage caused by free radicals in the body. Remember, add only as much ghee to the food that the original taste is enhanced. Don't add so much ghee that it kills the original taste of dal or sabzi that you're adding it to.

Use the oil native to your region for cooking
Photo Credit: iStock

2. Add coconut for garnishing or prepare chutney

Rujuta writes in her post that doing this can calm your nerves, improve gut health and overall digestion. Coconut has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties as well. People who get recurrent Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can benefit by including coconut in their daily diet. You can either garnish your food with coconut flakes, or prepare homemade coconut laddoos and barfis. Coconut chutneys is another delightful way to add coconuts to your diet. Rujuta also recommends eating coconut malai or dry coconut with jaggery or peanuts.

Also read: Not All Fats Are Bad: Luke Coutinho Explains The Importance Of Fats In Your Diet

3. Cashews as mid-meal snack or milk before sleeping

Stop believing myths like cashews make you fat and include them in your diet instantly. Apart from being a rich source of healthy fats, cashews are rich in minerals, amino acids and vitamins. Amino acids in cashews help in production of serotonin or sleep hormone, which helps in inducing deep sleep. Cashews are also rich in magnesium, which helps in relaxation of nerves. Combination of tryptophan (amino acid) and Vitamin B in cashew make it a "natural anti-depressant", according to Rujuta. She stresses that cashews have zero cholesterol, unlike the common misconception that states otherwise.

Consuming sufficient fats can help you strong joints, regulated blood sugars and fewer cravings for sweets after meals.

Fats are required for healthy bones
Photo Credit: iStock

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.