F A T - Part Two

So enough of this philosophical bullshit.

Let’s talk about the importance of fat and how it’s disadvantageous in higher proportions. Firstly fats are nutrients that give your energy. Fats have 9 calories in 1 gram .Fat is quiet essential for humans….it provides a cushion to our vital organs…acts as an insulator and helps maintain the body temperature. And hell yes! Makes food taste good…imagine those biryanis, burgers, hot dogs and bacons…without fat. That’s a world I don’t wanna live in. And it helps us absorb fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K.Well fats can be categorised and sub categorised as saturated and unsaturated fat.

1.) Saturated Fats: This is also known as solid fat. This fat is mainly found in foods such as fat on meat, chicken skin, full fat dairy products, butter etc. Poultry and fish have less saturated fat than red meat. Saturated fat is also found in tropical oils such as coconut oil, palm oil and cocoa butter. Saturated fat can raise your cholesterol.

List of foods having saturated fats:Foods made with butter, ghee, cakes, cookies and other desserts have a lot of saturated fats. Fatty cuts of meats and meat products such as bacon, sausages, processed meats, duck, chicken or turkey with skin etc. Egg yolks. Whole milk dairy products such as ice cream, sour cream, cheese. Coconut, coconut oil, palm oil etc.Processed grain products such as cookies, cakes, muffins, pastries and sweets made with ghee.Eating saturated fats is not a very good idea, but you can perhaps eat fewer foods that are high in saturated fat, or choose options lower in saturated fat or eat foods that are made with unsaturated fats instead of saturated. Nutritionists state that an average man should have no more than 30g saturated fat a day and an average woman should have no more than 20g saturated fat a day. Well that’s good enough for me …I can take care of other glands in my body that way and still keep my saliva glands happy.

Trans Fat: This is a fat that has been changed by a process called hydrogenation. This process increases the shelf life of fat and makes the fat harder at room temperature. Harder fat makes crispier crackers and flakier pie crusts. Trans fat can raise your cholesterol hence eat as little trans fat as possible.Trans fat foods include processed foods, cookies, snack/ junk foods such as chips and crackers, some margarine and salad dressings and foods made with shortening such as cookies, crackers, cakes, muffins, pie crusts, breads etc. and partially hydrogenated oils. Frozen dinners, fried foods including donuts, French fries, chicken nuggets are also a strict no as they have trans-fat.

2.)  Unsaturated Fat: This is the liquid form of fat at room temperature. It is mostly in oils from plants. Eating unsaturated fat is better than saturated fat as it helps in maintaining your cholesterol levels. Unsaturated fats is again divided into Mono-unsaturated fat and Poly-unsaturated fat. Foods that are rich in unsaturated fat include oily fish, nuts and seeds, sunflower, olive and vegetable oils and spreads made from these. There are various ways of eating unsaturated fats: Instead of eating red meat, have oily fish instead.While cooking, use unsaturated oils such as olive oil, sunflower instead of butter, lard or ghee.Make cakes with vegetable oil instead of butter.

Monounsaturated Fats: This fat which is available in nuts and vegetable oils such as olive and peanut oil help lower your LDL Cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and keeps HDL Cholesterol (good cholesterol) levels high thus lowering the risk of heart disease.
Polyunsaturated Fats: This type of fat is mainly available in vegetable oils such as sunflower, soyabean, and corn oils. Polyunsaturated fat is also the main fat found in seafood. Eating polyunsaturated fat in place of saturated fat may lower LDL cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats are of two types, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in foods from plants like soybean oil, canola oil, walnuts, and flaxseed. Oily fish is the best source of omega 3 fatty acids. These fatty acids may help protect against coronary heart disease. A healthy diet includes 8 ounces or more of these types of fish a week, averaging 250 mg a day of these omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-6 fatty acids are found mostly in liquid vegetable oils like soybean oil, corn oil, and safflower oil. Omega-6 fatty acid aids in reducing the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and high blood pressure. Total fat includes saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fat.So, people not all fatty substances are bad…just a few. Just like us guys. Few of them are rotten but rest of us are boyfriend and husband materials. And may be good enough for one night stands…… “Ha ha ha ….that’s not Santa, it’s the devil inside me laughing”. Life is all about making choices. So make a smart one with your heart. Until next time...Take care.