Fat isn't the big evil that everyone makes it out to be. There are good fats and there are bad fats and your body needs those good fats, so I really don't agree with those low fat diets personally because it just cuts it all out. It's about the types of fat you eat rather than how much really, I think anyway, from looking at research. The recommended amount is a total 20-35% of your daily calories should come from fats, saturated fat should account for less than 10% of your total calories. So no more than 10% sat fat and then 10-25% 'good' fats.
There are bad fat like saturated fats, trans fats, they are the bad fats that do the things that people talk about when they just say fat - weight gain, clogged up arteries, raise cholesterol, increased risk of heart disease, things like that. But there there are good fats like mono and poly fats and omega 3 and they have positive effects on our body, not negative.
There are good fats in things like olive oil, peanut oil, peanut butter, avocados, olives, nuts, fatty fish like salmon, tuna etc. And then there are bad fats in things like the skin of chicken, lard, butter, cheese, things like cookies, doughnuts, biscuits, chocolate, crisps etc. The problem is, when people go low fat, they cut out all of the good fats instead of just the bad.
Omega-3 for example is a great fat, I actually take extra through supplements. There's evidence that shows that it can prevent and reduce the symptoms of depression, also memory loss and dementia, it reduces the risk of heart disease, strokes and cancer and gives you happy, healthy joints. It's because your brain and heart need fatty acids to function well, your body also uses dat to make tissue and create biochemicals (like your hormones). Fat is also an important part of the cell membrane which is obviously essential for a cell to function properly. Also, you know when people refer to fat-soluable vitamins, like vit c, d and e? It means that the fat in the foods that you eat help your body to absorb those vitamins in your intestines, so if you don't have enough fat, you won't properly absorb those vitamins. One thing I know I've had issues with in the past is dry, flaky skin especially on my face which is actually a sign of fatty acid deficiency. So to sum up a post that's far too long (sorry!) fats aren't all bad and cutting out fats isn't a good thing, you just have to learn what's good and what's bad and reduce the bad fats.
Sorry, long post over!
