Help! What The Fact?
Fat intake is required for optimal health, even if we don’t like eating fat. Your body needs it to do basic functions. All fat is not the enemy. Fat doesn’t make you fat. Too many calories make you fat, either in the form of Carbohydrates, protein or fat.
Dietary fat provides essential fatty acids that cannot be synthesized in the body, and it is the main dietary source of Vitamins A, D, E and K.
Ironically enough if you don’t consume enough fat, you will have difficulty losing weight and abdominal fat. For years we were urged to banish fat from our diets. But that did not make us healthier. Probably because we also stopped eating healthy fats.
Fat Facts 101:
Trans Fat – Trans-fat has no health benefit. It is not good for you. It is hydrogenated vegetable oils that were created in the laboratory to provide cheap alternatives to butter, it increases the harmful LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream. Trans fat also lowers your beneficial HDL cholesterol in your bloodstream and create inflammation which is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other chronic conditions. Trans fats are rapidly fading from the scene thanks to government requirements to list them on food labels.
Saturated Fats – They are solid at room temperatures like butter and bacon fat. They are found in animal and plant fat. The word saturated refers to the number of hydrogen atoms in the fat. In Saturated fat the chain of carbon atoms holds as many hydrogen atoms as possible making it literally saturated with hydrogen atoms. Thus, the word saturated.
There are two types of Unsaturated Fats:
Unsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature. They are beneficial as it can improve your blood cholesterol and ease inflammation
Monounsaturated Fats: is the healthy fat that we find in plant-based food like olive oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, avocados and most nuts. These are also beneficial because they lower the bad LDL cholesterol that we have and help raise the good HDL cholesterol in our bodies. It also helps to fight inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity.
Polyunsaturated Fats – This is essential fats – this means that it is required for normal body functions and your body cannot manufacture it so you must get it from food. Polyunsaturated fat helps to build cell membranes, it’s vital for blood clotting, muscle movement and inflammation fighting. It reduces LDL more than any other fats. Improving your cholesterol profile.
There are two types of polyunsaturated fats: Omega-3 and Omega-6. Good sources of Omega-3 fats include fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel and sardines, flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil. Omega-6 oils include safflower oil, soybean, sunflower and walnuts.
Each gram of fat contains 9 calories vs Carbohydrates and Protein which only contains 4 calories per gram.
Your diet should consist of between 20-35% of fat a day. It sounds high but not really. Saturated fat should not be more than 10% of that. The rest of the fat is good fat and can help with satiety and normal body function.
What Does % of Calories Mean?
The recommended % of calories for total fat can be different for each person. These recommendations depend on age, gender, and activity level. Ex:
Fat intake recommendations for daily Calories of between 1800 – 2000
Recommended Daily Total Fat Intake: 60 – 65g
Recommended Maximum Daily Saturated Fat Intake: 14 – 15.5g
Cholesterol is a wax-like substance found in the body. There are two types of cholesterol:
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is the bad cholesterol. LDL cholesterol picks up cholesterol in the blood and deposits it in the inner wall of the artery. This leads to plaque build-up in the artery.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is the “healthy” cholesterol. HDL cholesterol carries LDL cholesterol away from the blood and carries it to the liver to be recycled. By doing this, HDL cholesterol keeps the inner wall of the arteries healthy. Since it’s fat, it doesn’t dissolve in blood, instead, it’s transported by protein packages called lipoproteins, such as LDL and HDL.
Our bodies need cholesterol:
- to make vitamin D, which helps our body absorb calcium and promote bone growth,
- to make hormones like for normal growth and reproduction,
- to keep cell membranes healthy.
Not Exactly Fat, But Related: Unlike dietary fats which are burned for energy, cholesterol can’t be “exercised off” but is a building block, yet high levels are linked to heart problems.
Eating foods high in saturated and trans-fat leads to more LDL cholesterol in the body. LDL cholesterol slowly builds up along the walls of the arteries. Over time, this can lead to plaque build-up that can make our arteries narrower. It is possible for the arteries to become so narrow that blood cannot flow through them. When blood is not able to flow to the heart or the brain, the result is a heart attack or stroke. Our bodies produce cholesterol, and we also get cholesterol from the foods we eat. Although foods high in saturated fat contain cholesterol, foods high in cholesterol are not always high in saturated fat.
Eat a healthy balanced diet every day. Do not just check the fat intake but keep tabs on daily calories as well. Healthy eating should become a habit and lifestyle and not be just a crash diet for a few weeks.
Sources:
Astrup A, Magkos F, Bier DM, et al. Saturated Fats and Health
Ahmed S, Shah P, Ahmed O. Biochemistry, Lipids
Canadian Nutrient File
Duyff RL. Fat facts. In: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. The skinny on fats. American Heart Association.
