Essential Fatty Acids
(EFAs) & Weight Loss
Introduction

Calories control weight, but nutrition controls hunger.

In this section we discuss the Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) including: What are the EFAs? They’re fats, of course -- but they’re different from other fats. Why does your body need EFAs even while dieting?

Many fat people are probably quite deficient in the EFAs. What are the known deficiency symptoms? How could you tell? For example, skin problems and nerve problems are likely to occur in people who are deficient in one or the other of the EFAs.

Most importantly, in this section,we discuss how dieters make sure they get enough of the EFAs in their diets without also getting a lot of Calories In other words, what foods can provide the EFAs, but won't also provide lots of Calories from other fats.

Main Discussion:
Essential Fatty Acids: An "Unknown Factor" in Dieting

A lack of the essential fatty acids (EFAs) in your diet can make weight gain easy and weight loss nearly impossible.

The body's need for EFAs (essential fatty acids)  is well-known to scientists but nearly unknown to most ordinary people. (And even scientists weren't sure about one of the EFAs until about 10 years ago.)

There are two EFAs. Chemically, they are fats -- and they are both vital nutrients. Just like vitamins, your body must have them to maintain its health, but cannot make them for itself. Therefore, you must get them from the food you eat. (Note: People who chronically suffer from dry, flaking, or thin skin, or need to use skin lotions of various sorts most of the time, should suspect an EFA deficiency.)

When your body begins to run low on one of the EFAs it often triggers hunger, cravings, aches, pains, low energy levels, or some other unpleasant symptom to try to stimulate you to eat, because eating is the only possible way you can get it more of the EFAs it needs. Of course, hunger makes you eat  too much food with too many Calories when you're not dieting -- and it makes weight-loss nearly impossible when you are dieting.

EFAs are found in fats. But they are found only in some fats.

This means that "fat" is really a "dual-use" nutrient. Most fats provide nothing but those concentrated Calories that you definitely don't need. Other fats provide the EFAs that are vital to being able to stay on your diet.

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