Diet experts say to avoid fats because it is bad for our health as it causes numerous health problems when consumed over a long period of time. While most of this is true it’s not entirely the case. Fats are compounds that take many forms like oil, lard or butter. They are mostly insoluble in water but some are soluble in organic solvents.
Fatty acids are the basic composition of fats and it can be grouped into two categories namely saturated and unsaturated forms.
Bad Fats: Saturated Fats and Transfats
Saturated fats are composed of carbon atoms that are saturated with hydrogen atoms. They stay in a solid state in room temperature. Consuming foods that are high in saturated fats can cause cholesterol levels in the blood to be elevated. High blood cholesterol can further lead to heart problems and stroke.
Saturated fats can be found mostly from animal and dairy products. Foods include beef, pork, chicken, lard, butter, cream and cheese. Saturated fats can also come from plants like coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil. Foods that are cooked deep fried and baked goods such as pastries can have high saturated fats content. Common fast food goodies such as hamburgers, French fries, and fried chicken are the most common source of a person’s saturated fats intake. Accumulation of these fats can lead to high cholesterol that can thicken the blood building fatty deposits into the blood vessels which can increase risks for cardiovascular diseases. It is recommended to decrease the amount of saturated fats in the diet limiting it to only 16 grams a day for a 2,000 caloric diet.
Transfat also called Trans fatty acids are made industrially by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil for a more solid output. They are also known as “partially hydrogenated oils”. They are cheaper to use that is why food industries makes use of it. Aside from being inexpensive it also adds a flavorful taste to fried foods and has a longer shelf time which enables restaurants to use it several times in frying. It is best to avoid Trans fat in your daily intake limiting it to only 2 grams a day to prevent its harmful effects that includes risk of heart diseases and development of Diabetes type 2.
Good Fats: Unsaturated fats
There are two kinds of unsaturated fats they are Monosaturated and Polysaturated.
Monsaturated fats are one double bonded carbon in molecule. They are in liquid state in room temperature but gets solid in cold temperature. An example of monosaturated fats is olive oil. Monosaturated fats have a beneficial effect when taken moderately. It is advised to replace consumption of saturated fats with unsaturated ones like monosaturated fats to prevent risk of heart diseases. It provides nutrients to cells with its Vitamin E a potent antioxidant.
Polysaturated fats have more than one double bonded carbon thus the coined term. The difference is they stay in liquid form even when chilled at cold temperature. The components of polysaturated fats include healthy omega 6 and omega 3 which is essential in brain function for the normal growth of cells.
The good fats basically increase the HDL cholesterol or what we know as the good cholesterol in the body which lowers the bad cholesterol known as the LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol is a building block for cell membranes and hormones essential to keep bodily functions. LDL cholesterol is termed as bad cholesterol because it increases the risk of fatty deposits in the blood that can lead to clogged vessels that leads to various heart diseases while HDL cholesterol extracts these fatty deposits from the vessels walls to be disposed by the liver. Substituting your intake of saturated fats with unsaturated fats can bring more benefits than health risks that can prolong your life and give you a better quality of life.
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[...] Fat is an essential part of our body along with protein and carbohydrates. Essential fatty acids are derived from fat in the food that we eat. These essential fatty acids are important in body functions like clotting, immune response and brain development. Fat also functions as a reserve for the body if it needs extra calories to be burned from continuous activity. Though fat deposits are generally not pretty to look at especially in the mid section of our abdomen and thighs it serves a significant purpose of insulating the body against cold environment. Fat also helps in maintaining a healthy glowing skin and a smooth flowing hair. [...]