Often we mistakenly call fats the bad guy of the story when a person is trying to lose weight and body fat, but let's look at their functions, and see if it's truly worth excluding them from our diet.
We should know that not all fats are equal, there are many types of fatty acids, but all fall into what we call saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and trans fats.
There are other ways to classify fats, such as by the length of their chains, and may be called long, medium or short chain triglycerides, however in this post we will focus on the classification by saturation.
Let's start with saturated fats, these fats are found in many foods of animal origin, however there are foods such as coconut that also contain them. They are important because they are indispensable for the production of sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen. Our intake should not exceed 7% of the Total Energy in our diet.
Too much saturated fat can cause serum cholesterol levels to rise, which is why we must consume them in moderation.
Polyunsaturated fats are another type of fat found mostly in seeds like sunflower, soybean, canola, etc, and some fish such as salmon, squid and tuna. In this group we can found omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.
The recommended consumption of polyunsaturated fats should range from 7 to 10% of the total energy in our diet. An adequate intake omega 3 fatty acids helps us maintain healthy levels of HDL cholesterol and reduces triglycerides. Omega-6 should be consumed sparingly because they can promote inflammatory reactions.
Another group of fat is the monounsaturated fats, examples of this group are olive oil, avocados, nuts, peanuts, etc.. These fats help us reduce our LDL cholesteroland it's recommended consumption goes from 13 to 18% of the total energy of the diet.
In a special group are the so-called trans fats, which come from the industrialization of food, although in most cases they come from plant sources, they are very unhealthy because they increase the risk of atherogenesis by decreasing HDL cholesterol and increasing LDL. Foods containing trans fat include:
- Fast food.
- Cookies.
- Candy.
- Pastries.
- Ice Cream.
- Precooked foods.
To maintain good health we must avoid at all costs this type of fat.
It is noteworthy that when consumed, fat is not stored directly in the body, but being more caloric than proteins and carbohydrates, fat may favor weight gain if consumed in inadequate amounts, that's why we must watch how much fat we eat, but when eaten in right amounts it won't interfere with weight and fat loss, what's your opinion on this topic?
