Website: www.talwalkars.net Talwalkars Better Value Fitness Limited., more popularly known as Talwalkars, is India's largest chain of gyms, health clubs & spas. It has more than 115 ultra-modern branches across 60 cities of India with over 1,30,000 members. A healthy body is the perfect complement to a brilliant mind. Building a strong masculine physique or a graceful feminine figure, Talwalkars has been spreading fitness since 1932 across India. A team of qualified fitness instructors, medical specialists, and the latest international equipment synergise to give you the best fitness experience in the country.

1. Balancing Good Fats in the Diet
For efficient body functioning we need a balance of four types of fats SFA (SATURATED FATTY
ACIDS), MUFA, Omega - 3 PUFA and Omega - 6 PUFA.
The foods eaten in the diet already supply certain fats:
1. Saturated fatty acids are supplied in animal foods (milk, egg yolk and chicken) - especially in
an attempt to consume good quality proteins.
2. Omega-6 PUFA is supplied in plant foods such as cereals, pulses and vegetables.
However, MUFA (found in nuts and olives) and Omega -3 PUFA (found in fish) are low or deficient in
the foods eaten.
Therefore, the fats added visibly to the diet need to balance the fats already supplied in the foods:
1. Additional sources of saturated fats (e.g. butter, ghee) and omega-6 PUFA (e.g. sunflower
and safflower oil) should be cut out from the diet.
2. Fats containing MUFA and omega-3 PUFA should be deliberately included in the diet:
 MUFA is found in cooking oils such as olives, groundnut oil and rice bran oil
 Omega-3 PUFA is found in fish and flaxseed oil and can be supplemented as flaxseed
powder, flaxseed oil capsules or fish oil capsules.
Amongst cooking oils, mustard oil has the highest omega-3 (14.5%) followed by soya bean oil (6.5%).
But they are no match for the omega-3 content of flaxseed (58%) and of fish oil (30%).
Sunflower and safflower oil is not bad in itself i.e. they do not directly solidify cell walls or clog
arteries like the saturated fats. They contain omega-6 polyunsaturated fats that are fluid in nature
and thus better for the heart than saturated fats.
But the cereals and vegetables in the diet already give us good amounts of omega-6 fats.
The sunflower or safflower oil adds to the excess of omega-6 fats and results in a fatty acid
imbalance in the body especially in the omega-3 - omega-6 ratio.
Correct Omega 3 to 6 ratios is a must for a healthy heart. The fatty acid imbalance is further
worsened by the lack of good fats such as omega 3 and MUFA cooking oils.
Hence to correct this gross imbalance, it is a must to cut out sources of Omega-6 fats (such as
safflower and sunflower oil) and include MUFA as cooking oil and omega-3 fats as supplement.
Classifying as good or bad is relative. Safflower and sunflower oils are not as "bad" for the heart as
saturated fats: but are not as 'good' for the heart as olive oil and other MUFA-based cooking oils
such as rice bran and groundnut.