What are Fats?
Fats are one of the three essential nutrients our bodies need to function. They are made up of 3 molecules which form a triglyceride. Fats are mostly made by the body, however there are a few that the body doesn’t make. These are known as essential fats.
What role do Fats play in the body?
It’s a common misconception that fats are unhealthy and consuming more fat in your daily regimen will make you fat. However, good fats which are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats play an important role in keeping us healthy. Fats help provide the body with energy, brain function, mental health, vitamin absorption, and weight control. They help lower LDL cholesterol (unhealthy), and raise HDL cholesterol (healthy). They play a role in heart health, blood pressure control, cell structure, nerve function, muscle function, inflammation, and artery function.
How many grams of Fats should a person consume?
A healthy person should consume 20-35% of their calories in the form of healthy fats. For a person consuming 2,000 calories that would average out roughly about 44-77 grams of fat/day. A person's daily fat intake should focus on consuming 15% to 20% of Monounsaturated fats, 5% to 10% Polyunsaturated fats, no Trans fats, and less than 300 mg of Saturated fats. (Cleveland clinic, Healthy Fat Intake 2014)
How many calories do Fats carry and why?
Fats carry 9 calories per gram. Fats have twice the amount of calories than carbs and protein because fat is burned slowly and stores excess fat, this makes them a very efficient source of energy.
4 types of fats
There are two types of unsaturated fats monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Unsaturated fats are usually liquid fats and help with lowering the risk of heart disease and lowering cholesterol.
1. Monounsaturated fats: olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, nuts, avocados, and olives
2. Polyunsaturated: omega 6’s (sunflower, corn, soybean, cottonseed oil, nuts) and omega 3’s (fish, flaxseed)
3. Trans Fats
Trans fats are the fats that should be avoided. Trans fat raises HDL (bad cholesterol) while lowering LDL (good cholesterol) making them a risk factor for heart disease.
Trans fats are found in: shortening, powder cream, solid margarine, and many prepackaged foods
4. Saturated Fats
Saturated fat is a type of dietary fat. It is one of the unhealthy fats, along with trans fat. These fats are most often solid at room temperature. Foods like butter, palm and coconut oils, cheese, and red meat have high amounts of saturated fat. Too much saturated fat in your diet can lead to heart disease and other health problems. Lastly, considering cholesterol is made in the body (liver) you should focus on keeping saturated fat intake less than 300 mg for optimal health.
Found in: animal based products.
References
Choosing Healthy Fats. (n.d.). Retrieved July 09, 2020, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/choosing-healthy-fats.htm
What Are Fats? (n.d.). Retrieved July 09, 2020, from https://www.healtheuniversity.ca/EN/CardiacCollege/Eating/Fats/
Cox, O. (2020, June 26). Fat. Retrieved July 09, 2020, from https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/fat-salt-sugars-and-alcohol/fat
Publishing, H. (n.d.). The truth about fats: The good, the bad, and the in-between. Retrieved July 09, 2020, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good
Spritzler, F. (n.d.). Fat Grams - How Much Fat Should You Eat Per Day? Retrieved July 09, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-fat-to-eat
