In the past few days, salmon is on the cusp of the storm, not to mention the final result, but from a nutritional point of view, salmon is still a very good ingredient. If I were to rank the ingredients, it would be more than enough for salmon to rank in the top three. We often say that although the ingredients are good, they should not be excessive. The timing of eating is the key. If there is no correct concept of diet, it is difficult for even good ingredients to exert their due value, and in the end, it may satisfy the taste but lose health. Today’s topic takes you to learn about the nutritional value of salmon and how to consume these beneficial fats during fat loss.
After reading this article, you will gain the following three information:
Understanding of fat
What’s so good about salmon
How to eat beneficial fats during fat loss
Understanding of fat
Fat in our traditional sense is the most energy-dense macronutrient in the human body, containing 9 calories per gram of fat. A lot of people think that fat is a more negative factor. In fact, it actually plays a more positive role in the human body than you think, such as the body’s thermal insulation, internal organs’ shock absorption, the composition of cells and tissues, especially the human body’s sex hormone levels. It is greatly affected by fat, as well as nerve conduction and some fat-soluble vitamins are inseparable from fat.
Fats are generally divided into saturated fats, unsaturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids.
Saturated fat can be synthesized by the human body by itself, and it does not need to be ingested deliberately, but should be avoided with caution. Because excess saturated fat can lead to clogged arteries and increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risks. Lard, tallow, butter, palm oil, and most red meats are high in saturated fat and high in cholesterol.
Our human body can use carbohydrates, fats or proteins to synthesize almost all fatty acids that the human body needs, but there are two kinds of polyunsaturated fatty acids that cannot. Synthesized by the human body, they are omega-3 and omega-6, so these two fatty acids must depend on the intake of external food. Common ingredients that are rich in omega-3 include nuts, salmon, deep sea fish, fish oil, egg yolk and olive oil, etc. Omega-3 has a positive effect on reducing blood clotting, dilating blood vessels and reducing inflammation. Omega-6, which is relatively easy to obtain in our daily life, can cause inflammation in the body and promote blood clotting in excess. Therefore, for both, the balance is the most important. Therefore, when supplementing with essential fatty acids, you should deliberately consume more omega-3 or less omega-6. Omega-6 is commonly found in flaxseed and soybean oil.
Trans fatty acids are not recommended for intake. Trans fatty acids are generally found in fried foods and baked desserts, such as cakes and donuts. Most of them are made with trans fats. After ingesting them, the body will increase bad cholesterol and cause cardiovascular disease. Trans fatty acids are contained in food packaging labels such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, hydrogenated fat, hydrogenated rapeseed oil, shortening, margarine or white butter.
In short, the understanding of daily fat intake is one sentence: essential fatty acids must be eaten, especially omega-3, which should be paid attention to, saturated fat is moderately consumed, and trans- Fatty acids should be avoided as much as possible.
What’s so good about salmon
Essential fatty acids must be eaten, so omega-3 intake is very important . There are three forms of omega-3: ALA, EPA and DHA. The specific Chinese name does not matter, because I can’t remember it after reading it. Just need to know that ALA is a fatty acid present in plants, which can be converted into EPA and DHA in the human body, and EPA and DHA are abundant in salmon, deep sea fish and egg yolk. The advertisements of brain gold we usually watch on TV refer to DHA, while EPA is called “vascular scavenger”, which has the function of clearing blood vessels, improving blood viscosity, regulating blood lipids, and reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. risks of.
Wild salmon contains 2.6 grams of omega-3 per 100 gramsFatty acids, basically a healthy adult consumes 250-500 mg of EPA and DHA per day to meet the normal needs of the human body. If you do not regularly consume salmon, deep sea fish and egg yolks in your daily diet, you can properly supplement fish oil to meet the body’s omega-3. At the same time, salmon also contains about 20~25g of high-quality protein per hectogram.
In addition, salmon also has the following functions and nutritional value:
Reduce inflammation in the body, why it can be ranked In the top three, one of the important reasons is that it can reduce inflammation in the body. The production of chronic inflammation in our body is mainly affected by unhealthy living habits and diet structure. At the same time, chronic inflammation is the root cause of most chronic diseases in the human body. Such as heart, diabetes and even cancer. Therefore, the omega-3 fatty acids in salmon can effectively reduce the inflammatory markers TNF-a and IL-6, reduce triglycerides and increase the level of HDL cholesterol in the blood, etc., thereby promoting good health, And reduce the risk of bone density loss.
A trace element, salmon is an excellent source of many B vitamins, which are necessary for the body to produce energy, control inflammation and protect heart and brain health. Such as vitamins B1, B2, B3, folic acid and B12. It also contains more potassium than bananas, which can help control blood pressure, reduce the risk of stroke, and prevent excess water retention in the body.
Improve obesity, sleep and mood. The essence of obesity is inflammation, and the anti-inflammatory effect of Omega-3 fatty acids can be very good for adipokines to improve. A moderate amount of salmon can increase insulin sensitivity and reduce abdominal fat, especially for the stress hormone cortisol. In addition, Omega-3 also has the effect of improving mood and reducing depression, thereby promoting better sleep quality.
Astaxanthin, an antioxidant in salmon, can reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol LDL and increase good cholesterol HDL in the body to reduce the risk of heart disease;At the same time, astaxanthin is a hot concept that has been hyped by beauty in recent years. It has the effect of helping to resist skin aging and increase skin gloss.
Advice for good fat intake
Good fat means high nutrient density
Good ingredients are nutritious, but excessive intake is also a problem, just like the beneficial fats mentioned above, which have strong nutritional value. But too much will increase the chance of obesity, while affecting the absorption of various other nutrients. In the whole process of dietary structure and dietary balance, we must try our best to choose high-quality ingredients. And what is the standard of high-quality food? Fresh, clean and healthy, with high nutrient density. Simply put, it means eating the same food. This food can provide you with more nutrients to meet your body’s nutritional needs, rather than a single nutrient. Low nutritional value. In general, snacks, highly processed foods, and unhealthy foods have a very low nutrient density, which can lead to nutritional imbalances in the body and excessive entry of unhealthy substances into the body, such as trans fatty acids.
At this time, if you consume fat, if you choose ingredients such as salmon, the nutrient density will be higher, and the efficiency of the human body’s use of nutrients will also be improved. will be much better. It is still necessary to remind here that if you are in the fat reduction stage, all dietary balance and nutrients must be arranged on the premise of calorie deficit, otherwise, fat reduction will be unsuccessful.
Fat intake levels during fat loss
During fat loss, in general, fat It accounts for about 20 to 25% of the daily calories, or about 0.5, 0.8 or 1.0 grams of fat per kilogram of body weight, depending on the situation. At the same time, the choice of fat should be based on unsaturated fatty acids as much as possible, and the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 should be taken into account. Do not deliberately consume saturated fat, but there is no need to completely avoid it. What is really to be banned is trans fatty acids. It can be said that if you basically don’t eat highly processed foods, you will largely stay away from trans fatty acids.
Meal timing for fat
If you don’t schedule training throughout the day, Then the fat meal time is relatively casual, and the main meal or snack is a good choice. And if you have a training schedule throughout the day, it is recommended that you avoid consuming any obvious form of fat, such as salmon, nuts, and avocados, before and after training. Because the gastric emptying speed of fat is relatively slow, it affects the absorption and metabolism of nutrients in the body after training. One thing to point out here is that many people like to eat avocados or because they are beautifully presented, but I personally do not recommend avocados, because some avocados also contain about 60% saturated fatty acids.
Salmon Cooking
Many people like to eat salmon sushi or raw cold salmon, but from the perspective of nutritional safety, it is not recommended to eat any raw fish and shellfish, because raw food will cause many serious bacteria or diseases every year. produce. Steamed, fried, smoked, grilled are all good choices, you can try it, it will kill a lot of bacteria and microorganisms, and make you safer to eat salmon.
At the end
Good ingredients also need to be eaten to maximize their value. Although beneficial fats are good, But overdose is also the same negative factor for the human body. At the end of the day, a balanced diet is the most important thing. Do not overdose, but not without. More and more, I feel that a good body is a bit like the middle way. Last but not least, the more you know about exercise science, the better it will be for you to achieve your goals. The harder, the more fortunate. Come on, everyone. Let’s encourage each other.