Know Your Fats
All kinds of fatty acids whether they are saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated make up the oils and fats in the body.
Animal products such as milk, meat, chicken fat, pork fat (lard), shortening are known as solid fats that is they remain solid at room temperature. These fats are covered with saturated fats. Also a few oils that are from the plant like the palm oil and coconut oil, which are used for nutritional purposes and have a high content of saturated fats, are also counted as solid fats.
Hydrogenation is a process by which certain solid fats to increase their shelf life and flavor stability of food through adding hydrogen. Hydrogenation reproduces trans fats which are found in vegetables shortenings and snack foods, or fried in, partially hydrogenated oils. Natural dairy products also contain small amounts of trans fat. Solid fats contains saturated fats which are equivalent to trans fat of the diet and the LDL cholesterol level are risen.
Next comes the saturated fats. Atomically speaking fatty acids are basically molecules containing carbon atoms bonded to other carbon atoms, and if the bonds existing between them is single bond then te carbon atoms are saturated and the fatty acids are called as saturated fatty acids.
It is generally said that the saturated fat is harmful as it has a risk of heart strokes and attack. The body for its own particular purpose can synthesize its own saturated fatty acids. The adipose tissue under our skin is entirely made up of saturated fatty acid hence there is no need to include any saturated fat in our diet.
Generally the diets that are rich in saturated fat lead to increased production of cholesterol which in turn causes the narrowing of arteries that is the main component of arterial plaque.
Other kinds of fatty acid are the unsaturated fatty acids which have carbon atoms with double and triple bonds. If a molecule of carbon has one double or triple bond it classifies as a monounsaturated fatty acid. The main source chicken almonds and peanut oils.
Polyunsaturated fatty acid are those molecules which contains more than one double or triple bond. The main sources of these are corn and fish.
Unlike the common belief fats are not always harmful to the body. Cell membranes in the body contain a large portion of polyunsaturated fatty acids. A body deficient in polyunsaturated fatty acids uses the saturated fatty acids instead for formation of cells. The membrane thus has different properties leading to long term health disorders.
The basic essence of this is that the diet should contain polyunsaturated and unsaturated fats rather than only saturated fats.
Filed under: Food & Nutrition
