Fats

For this weeks nutrition related article I though about tackling one of the two (the other being Carbohydrates) most commonly confused nutritional elements.

A delicious array of cheese.

What is Fat?

Fats are a group of compounds that are generally insoluble in water and are needed for processing certain vitamins and minerals (See below). There are many categories and divisions of fats, firstly they can be put into two initial groups; Solid Fats, which are solid at room temperature, and Oils, which is a liquid at room temperature. They can be divided further, which we will look into, like saturated fats, trans fats etc.

What is the confusion?

The main source of the confusion about fats mainly comes from the name. People see the word FAT and automatically equate it to that belly and increasing waistline. Of course there is some truth in that but all nutrients are involved in that, as was mentioned in the first article, the importance is balance. For starters Vitamins A, D, E and K need fat to be processed and absorbed into the body's system. Fats are also important in containing fatty acids (in fact fat is composed of glycerol and three fatty acids, that is why the chemical name is triglyceride), that are essential for our daily diet (but I will go more in Fatty Acids on a different article).

Some myths that I have found throughout the internet and from my life as a Chef in regards to Fat are the following:

•  Less Fat means weight loss. This isn't entirely true, in fact according to figures obesity rates have soared by 20% in the last 10 years (the same time that the low-fat revolution has been active). The key to weight loss is by managing calories, fats can help this because they are filling and thus make it easier to avoid over eating. 
• All fats are the same. Another big myth, fats have differing values depending on their structure. Also it is scientifically researched that Saturated and Trans Fats are worse for you when taken in excess than mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated. However all fats taken in excess cause problems and all intakes should be taken into account by your age, weight and activity. 
• Eating Fat-Free is better. This is so not true that it hurts me so much to see health nuts proclaim it as such. Fat-Free foods normally contain higher concentrations of sugar, refined carbohydrates and calories. Don't think so? Just check next time you go to the markets.

So what is recommended in your diet for fat? Well according to food scientists, about 20-30% of your calories should come from fats however to break this down further it is recommended that no more than 10% should be Saturated fats and no more than 1% come from Trans fats. 

However we shouldn't get too scared by all this and start trying to have no fat in our life. If we look at something foodies call the French Paradox we can see that having a lifestyle high in saturated fats doesn't mean you will have a heart attack. It is all about how you eat, all comes down to the magical word BALANCE. If we took the time to just go out for a walk 30 minutes a day, our body would function a whole lot better. If we ate more greener, stable, vitamin rich foods our body would perform harder, better, faster, stronger (That was deliberate for those who get it). So think about your lifestyle and its needs when planning your meals.

Sources of Fats

Here is a list of some sources of fats and what kinds they are:

Monounsaturated Fats

• Olive oil
• Sunflower oil
• Peanut oil
• Sesame oil
• Avocados
• Olives
• Nuts (mainly peanuts, almonds, macadamia, pacans, cashews and hazelnuts)
• Peanut butter

Polyunsaturated Fats

• Soybean oil
• Corn oil
• Walnuts
• Tofu
• Fatty Fish (Salmon, Herring, Trout, Tuna, Sardines and Mackerel) 
• Soy Milk
• Seeds (Sunflower, Flax, Pumpkin and Sesame)

Saturated Fats

• Red Meats, especially the high fat cuts (Chops,Rib-Eyes, Tenderloin, Shoulder) 
• Chicken with the skin 
• Ice Cream 
• Lard
• Butter
• Whole-fat Diary (Milk and Cream)
• Palm and Coconut oil

Trans Fats

• Cheap and Stick Margarines (also commonly know as Baking Margarine) 
• Snack Foods (Popcorn, microwave Burgers and Hotdogs, Crisps)
• Vegetable Shortening (Crisco)
• Fried Foods
• Commerically baked products (Doughnuts, Pizzas, Muffins, Cakes)
• Sweets

Home made Peanut Butter.

What does our body use it for?

Fats have the important job of helping our skin and hair remain healthy. People who suffer from skin and hair conditions are normally advised to take foods that contain higher concentrates of fats, like nuts, seafood etc. It also provides cushioning for our organs against shock (not as in boo you scared the living day lights out of me kind of shock), regulation of our body temperature (which is why I can currently stand this -20oC plus Finnish Winter) and helping the cells in our body stay healthy and perform their tasks. 

Fat is also an emergency energy store, each gram contains around 37 kilojoules (8.8 kcal/g). During the digestion process the fats are broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. The glycerol is turned into glucose by the liver and stored for energy. 

Another very important but very unheard of duty for Fats is in the helping the body against diseases. When the body realises that a substance, chemical or biotic, starts reaching unsafe levels it essentially dilutes it into new stored fat tissue. This protects the organs from the substances and eventually the body removes it by the metabolising, sweating, urination, hair growth and sebum excretion (this is an oily, waxy substance the body excretes to help the skin and hair stay healthy). 

It is impossible, and indeed unwise to try, to remove all fats from your diet. To do so would neglect the body of essential nutrients that would lead to several serious conditions. The essential fat (needed to maintain body functions and thus life) percent for a human body is 2%-5% for Men and 10%-13% for Women. For a healthy lifestyle men should have an overall body fat % of 8%-19% in under 40's and 11%-21% for over 40's. Women should have 21%-32% for under 40's and 23%-33% for over 40's. Having over 25% for Men and over 35% for Women is considered obese. 

Effects of cooking on Fats

There is little effect on fats from cooking other than to make it more digestible. 

We could go on and on about Fats and the pros and cons, but I believe that what is currently wrote here will do for now. Maybe in the future I will go more into detail on fats and each type.