The "Skinny" On Fat!
Fats are essential for our body’s health! Along with carbohydrates and proteins, fats make up one of the three main classes of macronutrients. They provide energy, store excess calories for later use, and have a variety of other roles in the body. They help us absorb and use some vitamins and are involved in constructing and repairing nervous tissue. They maintain healthy skin and nails and are used to make hormones that control blood pressure, the immune system, growth, and blood clotting. Fats also form the basis of all the membranes in the body, surrounding each cell and the structures within it.
Fats in food come as triglyceride modules. The triglycerides are composed of different types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.
Monounsaturated fat is found in a variety of nuts and seeds, avocado, peanut butter, and oils (olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, and sesame oil). Studies show that eating foods rich in monounsaturated fatty acids instead of saturated fats improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease and may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Polyunsaturated fat is found in nuts, seeds, and oils (soybean oil corn oil sunflower oil). Evidence shows that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids instead of saturated fats improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease and may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat that nat be especially beneficial for heart health. Omega 3, found in some types of fatty fish, appears to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. Omega 3 fatty acids can also be derived from some plants, but it is yet to be determined if they have the same heart health benefits.
Saturated fat is found in butter, lard, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil. Saturated fat is also consumed by eating red meat, poultry, and dairy products. Saturated fats raise your cholesterol levels, which may increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition to these fatty acids, there is also trans fat. Most trans fats are made through a food processing method called partial hydrogenation. These fats increase bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Because some fats are potentially helpful and others are potentially harmful to your health, it pays to make a plan to include healthy fats and avoid the fats that cause potential damage.
The following are recommended guidelines:
Avoid trans fat- check labels!
Limit saturated fat to less than 10% of daily calories
Rely mainly on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (oils, nuts, seeds, avocado, fish)
I recommend aiming for roughly 20-30% of your total calories from (mostly) monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Fats are extremely calorie-dense, so this calculates out to approximately 30-50g of fat per day for most women.