Fat Makes Our Food Taste Better

Healthy Fats

("Eating too much of certain types of fats and not enough of other types of fats which are detrimental, not fat per se")

Fats are an essential part of our diet and are equally important for good health. Fats are the nutrients which play a host of important functions within our body. Fats are found in many foods and comes from both animal and vegetable sources. The main types of fat are saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fats. All fat contains the same amount of calories, regardless of which type of fat it contains. 

Role played by fat in our body

Functions of Fats

Our body needs some fat to function properly. Fats are also the potential source of energy. Our body can pull on its fat reserves during lean times for energy, by converting fat into glucose. Fats are used by our body to make substances it needs. Fats provide a cushion to help protect our vital organs. Without fats our organs would be more prone to damage. Fats also act as an insulator, helping us to maintain the correct body temperature. They help our body in absorbing certain vitamins from food (that is A, D, E, & K) and fat-soluble antioxidants (such as lycopene and beta-carotene). They help in producing healthy cell membranes in our body. Healthy fats are the building blocks of hormones and they insulate nervous system tissue in the body. Like amino acids in protein, fats contain essential fatty acids (EFA). They are essential to good health and likely to help the heart and immune system. But all fats are not good for our health. Some are better for our health than others. 

Healthy fats vs Unhealthy fats

Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. They are considered beneficial fats because they can improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation, stabilize heart rhythms and play a number of other beneficial roles. Unsaturated fats are predominantly found in foods from plants, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. Most of the fats we eat should be monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. 

Monounsaturated fats: They protects us against heart disease, by increasing the levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. Foods high in monounsaturated fats are Olive oil, Peanut oil, Canola oil, Avocados, Most of the nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans, seeds such as pumpkin and sesame seeds etc.

Polyunsaturated fats: Foods high in polyunsaturated fats are Corn oil, Sunflower oil, Soybean oil, Cottonseed oil. They can be further divided into Omega–3 and Omega–6. Omega-3 fatty acids helps in reducing risk of heart disease and plays an important role in brain and eye function. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fatty fish. They are salmon, trout, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines. Omega-6 fats are necessary for growth and the synthesis of hormone type compounds. We can get both omega-3 and omega-6 from plant sources as well. They can be get from ground flax seed (linseed), flax seed oil, and walnuts. 

Saturated and trans fats are less healthy kinds of fats. They can increase our risk of heart disease by causing the buildup of a fatty substance in the arteries carrying oxygen-rich blood to our heart. When this happens, our heart does not get all the blood it needs to work properly. The result can be chest pain or a heart attack. These fats can also increase a risk of stroke within us by causing the buildup of the same fatty substance in arteries carrying blood to our brain. 

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats: They increases total cholesterol by increasing the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, so they should be eaten in the smallest amounts. Eating good fats in place of saturated fat lowers the “bad” LDL cholesterol, and improves the ratio of total cholesterol to “good” HDL cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease. Eating good fats in place of saturated fat can also help in preventing insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. Foods high in saturated fats are Red meat (beef, pork, lamb), Poultry, Butter, Whole milk and whole milk products, Coconut oil, Palm oil etc. 

Trans Fats

Trans fats: They are formed mainly during the process of hydrogenation of edible oils to make solid fats used in shortenings and margarine. So they are found in foods made with hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. We are likely to find them in commercial baked goods, such as crackers, cookies, and cakes. Trans fats are also found in fried foods, such as doughnuts and french fries. Trace amounts can be produced in the heating and frying of oils at high temperatures. They are also found naturally in beef, mutton, lamb and dairy fat. In addition, trans fats may also decrease levels of the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, making the effect of trans fat worse than saturated fat. 

Cholesterol Rich

Cholesterol: Our liver makes all the cholesterol we need, but extra cholesterol can build up in our body from the food we eat. Our body needs some cholesterol to work properly, but too much cholesterol in the blood can create a fatty build up in your artery walls, narrowing arteries and restricting blood flow. This can cause a heart attack or stroke. (Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in animal products, such as Red meat, Poultry, Seafood, Egg yolks, Milk and milk products, Lard, Butter etc).

How Trans fats are worse for cholesterol levels?

Trans fats are worse for cholesterol levels than saturated fats because they raise bad LDL and lower good HDL. Trans fats create inflammation i.e. a reaction related to immunity which has been implicated in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. It helps in contributing insulin resistance. Trans fats can have harmful health effects even in small amounts for example in each additional 2% of calories from trans fat consumed daily, the risk of coronary heart disease increases by 23%.

Recommended Dietary Allowances

• Fats are energy-dense, that means they contain a lot of energy (calories) in a small quantity. So it is easy to eat more than we need.
• 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories, much more than a gram of protein or carbohydrate which both contain 4 calories per gram.
• Experts say kids older than 2 should get about 30% of their daily calories from fat. Especially little kids,  needs a certain amount of fat in their diets so the brain and nervous system develop correctly. 

Excess fats leads to weight gain 

Weight Gaining Fats

Although monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are better for our health than saturated and trans fats, eating large amounts of any fat can cause weight gain. We should eat fats in moderation and make sure that fatty foods don't replace more nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Research findings

• Dutch researchers conducted recently an analysis of 60 trials that examined the effects of carbohydrates and various fats on blood lipid levels. In trials where polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats were eaten in place of carbohydrates, these good fats decreased levels of harmful LDL and increased protective HDL.
• The American Heart Association suggests that 8% to 10% of daily calories should come from polyunsaturated fats, and there is evidence that eating more polyunsaturated fat up to 15% of daily calories in place of saturated fat can lower heart disease risk. 
• According to a recent research known as “OmniHeart” showed that replacing a carbohydrate-rich diet with one rich in unsaturated fat, predominantly monounsaturated fats, lowers blood pressure, improves lipid levels, and reduces the estimated cardiovascular risk.

How to stay healthy with fats?

• We have to choose foods that have a low proportion of saturated fat compared to total fat as a result the rest will be made up of the healthier mono and polyunsaturated fats.
• Always compare labels at the time of buying to choose lower-fat products that means a food is considered low in fat if the total fat level is less than 10%. 
• We must use low-fat cooking methods such as grilling, baking and microwaving instead of frying to reduce the amount of fat and oil.

  

  Choosing of Fats

• Though some oils break down when they are cooked at high temperatures, we must use canola, sesame, peanut or rice bran oils for frying. Olive oils are best on salads and for low-temperature cooking.
• As our body can’t make Omega-3 fats and they must come from food it is an excellent way to get omega-3 fats is by eating fish 2 to 3 times a week.
• The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends getting less than 10% of calories each day from saturated fat. The American Heart Association goes even further, recommending limiting saturated fat to no more than 7% of calories.
• We can easily reduce the amount of saturated fat by choosing low-fat milk or yogurt and lean cuts of meat i.e. removing any visible fat from meat and skin from chicken.
• We must prefer margarine and vegetable oils (such as olive and canola oils or spreads) rather than butter.