Is Fat Really Bad?
When you think about your diet or nutrition, fat has a bad reputation. Before the advancement of this field, doctors might have recommended you to reduce the intake of fats to avoid gaining weight and health problems. Some of it is justified. However, not all fats are technically ‘bad’ for you. You need some fat in your diet to keep you healthy. Fats help you gain energy, build cells, protect your organs, etc. To have a good diet, you need to know and balance healthy fats and other nutrients required by your body. In this article, we will talk about all kinds of fats you should know about. Just a heads up, trans and saturated fats aren’t your best buddies.
Fats occur in living beings or in food. They are generally ester or a mixture of fatty acids. These are nutrients that provide us energy. Fats have 9 calories in each gram. The difference between fats lies in their chemical structure. We won’t go bore you by going into those details. There are four types of fats: saturated, monounsaturated, trans and polyunsaturated. Mostly food with fats have both saturated as well as unsaturated fats. They also help in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).
Saturated fat, also known as solid fat is mostly found in food derived from animals like milk, milk products, cheese, (red) meat, etc. it is also found in tropical oils like coconut, palm and cocoa butter. We find these oils usually in a lot of snacks and non-dairy foods. This kind of fat can raise your cholesterol. The medical community still debates on the harmful effects of saturated fats. Some studies show no evidence that these fats lead to heart disease, while some debate how a particular kind of saturated fat is beneficial than the other. Also, whatever you use as an alternative for saturated fats matter as well. For example, if you replace it with carbohydrates, the risk of heart disease increases.
Hydrogenation is a process which changes Trans-fat. This process requires hydrogen to turn the fat solid at room temperature, so food lasts long. Little amount of trans fat occur naturally in some of the animal-based food but most of them are made in industries. Most of this fat comes from partially hydrogenated oils. You can identify these fats in French fries, cakes, frozen pizza, etc. You might find it tasty, but it’s not good for you.
Unsaturated fat is mostly found in oils from plants, vegetable, nuts, fish, etc. It is liquid at room temperature. This fat is considered ‘good’ as they help you improve your cholesterol level. Doctors recommend that we should consume unsaturated fats instead of saturated ones. There are two types of unsaturated fats- Monounsaturated (found in nuts, avocados, olive, etc.) and Polyunsaturated (found in sunflower, walnuts, fish, etc.). These are considered as “good” fats. Monounsaturated fats turn solid from liquid when refrigerated whereas polyunsaturated fats remain liquid at room temperature as well as in the refrigerator. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are the two sub-categories of polyunsaturated fats. Earlier doctors thought Omega-6 fatty acid increased the risk of heart disease but now, science proves that these are actually good for your heart.
To conclude, you get most of your fat intake from unsaturated sources to keep your heart and the rest of your body healthy. Include most of the nutrition required by your body from healthy, low-fat food. Have a healthy meal with all the nutrients and protein required every day. Consult your dietitian for better understanding.
Disclaimer: I am not a health professional. I write research based articles for reading and knowledge purpose. Always consult your doctor for anything and everything. Thankyou for reading.
