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FAT
AND FATTY ACIDS |
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Fats,
or lipids, ie fats and oils, contain 9 calories per
gram (carbohydrates and proteins contain only 4 per
gram). Not only does it keep you warm, but certain types
are essential to our health because they aid chemical
reactions in the body. |
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Visible
fats
These include butter and oil. You add them in cooking,
and it's relatively easy to control the quantity and
quality of these fats.
Hidden fats
Most foods contain hidden fats; we eat them without
realising. Examples:
- red meat
- egg yolks (they're very high in cholesterol)
- fresh butter
- whole milk
- milk chocolate
- cakes
- sauces
- cold meats
This is why it's important to check the ingredients
to find out how much fat you're really eating. |
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If
you want to lose weight, increase your protein intake
to 15-30% of your calorie intake and reduce your fat
intake accordingly. You can easily reduce your calorie
intake by 10% just be replacing some fat with protein.
For a normal, healthy balanced diet, you should take
50-60% of your calorie intake from carbohydrates. If
you want to lose weight, reduce the percentage of calories
you take from carbs down to 20% or even less if you
need to.
To reduce your risk of cardio-vascular illness, don't
eat too much saturated (animal) fat. Go for unsaturated
(vegetable) fat and fish oils, which contain essential
fatty acids. |
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Cholesterol
can be dangerous in that it blocks your arteries. It's
a fatty substance present in every cell and every fluid
in the body. Cholesterol is used to produce sexual hormones,
cortisone and bilt salts. It's the insoluble part of
of our cells' membrane structure, and exists in our
blood in quantities of 1.5 - 2.5g per litre of plasma.
Cholesterol is essential to our health, but we don't
have to get it through our diet because our liver produces
it naturally. |
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Egg
yolks contain a lot of cholesterol. When you get to
40, start throwing one yolk away if you're using two
eggs, and watch how much egg-based food you eat (cakes,
sauces, etc). |
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Healthy eating: all about fat and fatty acids
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