Fat doesn’t HAVE to be the ‘F’ word! Fats are essential to our health. We need fat both in our daily diet and as part of our body composition.
- Protection of internal organs
- Regulates body temperature
- In women, body fat is essential for fertility as the more fat cells your body has the more oestrogen you will produce.
- Transports fat soluble vitamins.
- Energy source, 9kCals/gm
The average correct amount of body fat should be 15%-18% for men and 18%-25% for women. Anything below or over that should be addressed. The problem is the majority of us have a higher % body fat and this can lead to health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, cholesterol and obesity.
Our daily fat intake should be about 20%-30% of our daily calories, approximately 50gms-65gms, and from mainly unsaturated fat.
Fats can be categorised into saturated and unsaturated, depending on the chemical structure. An easy rule of thumb to know which is which is: Animal fat is generally saturated and solid at room temperature, e.g. lard, butter etc. and plant fat is unsaturated and liquid at room temperature, e.g. sunflower oil, olive oil etc. Of course, there are some exceptions to the rule but this is the easy way to remember.
The bad guy is saturated fat. It is widely accepted that a person with a diet high in saturated fat runs a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, high cholesterol levels and can lead to obesity.
There is one other type of fat, which is really getting a lot of bad press at the moment, and that is Trans Fats. They can be naturally occurring but more often than not, they are created when food manufacturers add hydrogen, called hydrogenation, to unsaturated fat to change its chemical structure. This was done to plant oils such as sunflower oil to solidify it and to use it as a spread. It has been found that trans fats from hydrogenated oils have harmful effects on blood lipids, promote inflammation, and cause blood-vessel abnormalities, all of which are risk factors for heart disease. When oil is heated over and over again at home, it can have the same effect as hydrogenation, so change the oil in your deep fat fryer regularly, or better still, get rid of your deep fat fryer! A recent Harvard Medical School research study stated that removing trans fats from food would save tens of thousands of lives every year.
Just as saturated and trans fats can cause heart disease, mono and polyunsaturated fats can actually prevent it. In particular, the fatty acids, Omega 3, 6 & 9. The three most nutritionally important omega 3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). They have a positive effect on the health of your blood as they lower bad cholesterol and can prevent unnecessary arterial clotting, (stroke and heart attack). There have also been studies to suggest that a diet rich in these polyunsaturated fats can improve learning abilities and cognitive function and relieve depression. Fatigue, itchy dry skin and brittle hair and nails can also benefit from these fatty acids. It is recommended for pregnant women to supplement their diet with omega 3, 6 and 9 for the developing baby’s brain. Good sources of these are oily fish, such as trout, mackerel, salmon, tuna (avoid shark, marlin, swordfish etc. because of Mercury contamination) Linseeds, Walnuts, Flax oil, Soy beans, Borage, Evening primrose oil, Grape seed oil, Cod liver oil. An intake of about 1.1gms for women and 1.6gms for men per day of these oils is adequate.
Emma Buckley B.Sc
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