A lot of people would agree that fatty foods make the tastiest, and most satisfying foods. Eating too much of this fatty food causes our bodies to store it in places we would rather it did not. In fact, eating too much food in general, be it carbohydrates, protein, or fats, and your body will go into fat storage mode and squirrel that extra energy away. The end result is, a lot of us will end up having too much of it, and becoming overweight, or even obese. So the question is, what is fat used for in the body?

Fat is a means for our body to store energy, but it is also important for other functions. Fat is responsible for the storage of the fat soluble vitamins; A, S, E and K. Without fat we would not be able to store sufficient quantities of these vitamins. As they are mostly found in dietary fat, a person who is on an extreme low fat diet may be in danger of not receiving sufficient quantities of these vitamins.

There is also a layer of fat around all of our internal organs. Basically, fat creates an internal shock absorber. Not only is it a great shock absorber, but fat also surrounds our nerve fibers, enabling the efficient transmission of electrical impulses. It is also responsible for the creation of hormones and other building blocks that support our immune system.

Fat is the glue that holds our body together. Without it, our cells would not be able to transport essential nutrients throughout the body. It insulates and helps to regulate our body temperature. We all need fats in our diet as it is a necessary part of our makeup. It is not the fats in our food that are the problem. The problem is in the proportion in which we consume them.