Understanding Nutrition Part #4 ????

During the last couple days we have been talking about macronutrients, the three ones are Protein, carbs and fats.

Today we are going to be covering fats, what food we can get them from and the importance of them.

Before we start, FATS DO NOT MAKE YOU FAT. Fat is just as important as protein and carbohydrates. They each provide a very important role in living.

Did you know while reading this email you are actually using fats are your primary source of energy? We use fats at rest to fuel us.

We also use fats for energy when doing low intensity cardio sessions, or other known as LISS (Low Intensity Steady State)

A small amount of fat is an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Fat is a source of essential fatty acids, which the body cannot make itself.

Fat helps the body absorb vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin E.

These vitamins are fat-soluble, which means they can only be absorbed with the help of fats.

Good fats come mainly from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish. They differ from saturated fats by having fewer hydrogen atoms bonded to their carbon chains. Healthy fats are liquid at room temperature, not solid. There are two broad categories of beneficial fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Types of Fat

There are different types of fat in the diet, broadly categorised into saturated and unsaturated. Fats are categorised by the presence or lack of a double bond in their chemical structure.

Unsaturated fats

Unsaturated fats have this doubled bond, whereas saturated fats do not. Unsaturated fats include both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, these are considered the healthier types of fats.

• Monounsaturated fats are sound in avocados, nuts (such as almonds and pecans), olives and seeds.
• Polyunsaturated fats are found in oily fish, nuts, and seeds.

Saturated fats

• Saturated fat is mostly found in animal foods, such as meat, cheese, eggs, and meat. Foods made with butter or margarine, have a high level of saturated fat.
• They are often referred to as “bad fats” however it is now appreciated that some saturated fat sources are nutritious, such as those that come from whole foods like eggs or cheese.
• Moderation of the amount of saturated fat is important. Fats contain 9 kcal per gram, in comparison, carbohydrates and protein contain 4 kcal.

Our body is usually good at breaking down and reorganising things, however, we lack the ability to make the chains needed for essential fatty acids, omega 3 and omega 6. This means we cannot synthesise them in the human body and therefore they must be consumed in our diet.

Some foods that you can get fats from are:

– Nuts

– Avocado

– Olive Oil

– Salmon

– Steak

– Granola

– Peanut Butter

– Greek Yogurt

– Eggs

– Chia Seeds

– Cheese’s (although i recommend cutting this out)

Don’t overlook the importance of fats, as you can see they are just as important as the rest.