Facts on Fats

Facts on fats

      Fat is actually an essential nutrient, without it, the body would not function properly. Therefore this simply means there is enough good fat which helps to lower the cholesterol level. There are bad fats which causes an increase in the cholesterol level which is bad for the heart.

Types

Saturated fats

These are solid fats found in foods of animal origin and in tropical oils. Saturated fat raises the cholesterol level and it is a cause of cardiovascular diseases. Foods rich in saturated fat include butter, cream and other full fat and 2% fat dairy products, fatty meats, ice cream and palm oil. To cut down on saturated fats, eat less beef, pork and lamb and add more fish and skinless chicken. Choose fat free and 1% fat milk, yoghurt and other dairy products, and make full fat dairy an occasional treat.

Trans fats

These are unsaturated fats. Foods that are high in trans-fat includes many commercial crackers, cookies, doughnuts, fries and other baked unfried foods.

Polyunsaturated fats

They are omega-3 fats and omega-6 fats. They are healthy fats if you get them in the right proportions. Omega-3 fats, come from wild cold water fish like salmon and sardines, grass-fed beef and free-range poultry and eggs.

Omega-3 fats reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer, and they are vital for brain health. Omega-6 oils come from grain-fed beef and pork, mass-produced chicken and eggs and corn oil.

Monounsaturated fats

They are considered a good fat because they lower harmful LDL cholesterol, raise beneficial HDL cholesterol, and protect the heart, the blood vessels, and the health in general. Replace other fats in the diet with monounsaturated fats. Good sources of these healthy fats are olive, sunflower, peanuts, canola, and sesame oils; avocado; olives; peanuts butter; and most types of nuts, including hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, and cashews.

Other things on Fats

·        Fats are one type of macro-nutrients that the body needs for energy. Carbohydrates and proteins are the other macro-nutrients.

·        The body also uses fats to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

·        Both polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fat are types of “good” fats that are healthy for the heart. Select foods that are high in these good fats and avoid unhealthy saturated and trans fats.

·        Each gram of fats provides nine calories, which makes it a highly concentrated energy source. Carbohydrates and protein only provide four calories per gram.

·        All types of fats, such as polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, trans, and saturated fats, provide the same amount of calories per gram.

·        Around 20% to 35% of the total calories should come from fat. Based on a 2000 calorie diet, you can have 400 to 700 calories of fats each day. This equivalent to 44 to 78 gram of fat.

Managing Fat Consumption

·        Stay away from fried foods. These foods tends to have high levels of fat in them including saturated and trans fat.

·        Avoid hydrogenated oils. They do not only have high levels of dietary fat, they very high in trans and saturated fats.

·        Avoid sweets and sweets with high fat content. Sweets that are of good exist in pure nature (sweet such as apple, or orange). The bad sweets are the ones that are of little or no nutritional value (sweet such as cookies, cakes and candies).

Replace fats with:

·        Olive or canola oil. Instead of butter, eat foods that are baked or broiled instead of fried.

·        Put avocado slices into salads and on sandwiches, snack on nuts and olives.