Why you NEED fat to absorb vitamins
Newsflash: not eating enough fat is bad for you. Fact. But before you tuck into that cake, it’s a little more complicated than that. You need to choose the right fats to make sure you absorb certain nutrients while still staying healthy.
Making sure you include good fats in your diet is crucial to the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, which includes vitamins A, D, K and E. Healthy levels of vitamin A areessential for good vision, vitamin D for bone health, K for healthy blood clotting, and E for limiting the formation of harmful free radicals (water-soluble vitamins B and C don't need fat to be absorbed).
When you eat foods rich in fat-soluble vitamins, they are most effectively absorbed when they can dissolve in the fat they are eaten with, and therefore move across the cell walls of the small intestine and enter the body's bloodstream, where they are taken to the liver and stored until the body needs them.
Without that fat, your body struggles to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins. But the types of fat you eat are crucial for your health.
- Avoid the saturated and trans fats found in cakes and biscuits.
- Eat a small amount of avocado, coconut, five or 10 unsalted nuts or a small handful of sunflower seeds with vitamin-rich meals.
- Opt for healthy oils such as olive oil and flax seed oil.
- Don’t over do it- fats are still high in calories and will cause you to gain weight, so consume in moderation!
And as always, if you’re worried that you might be low in some vitamins, talk to your doctor or healthcare practitioner.