The third of the three main macronutrients — lipids, also known as fat. Contrary to popular belief, fats are not the culprit of weight gain; rather, they serve so many metabolic purposes. In any diet, it is essential to incorporate fats to keep a healthy balance.
Lipids are molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Depending on the number of hydrogen atoms in the molecule, fats can either be saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fats contain the maximum number of hydrogen atoms and are known to be the “unhealthy” fat that contributes heart disease. Fats with a limited amount of hydrogen are classified as unsaturated. Monounsaturated fats have a higher hydrogen content and are considered to be slightly damaging to heart health while polyunsaturated fats are the “healthy” fats. A well-known type of unsaturated fat is omega-3 fatty acids, which are critical in lowering the risk of heart disease. When an unsaturated fat is hydrogenated by adding hydrogen atoms, it becomes a trans fat, deemed one of the most unhealthy fats.
Apart from adding richness to foods, fats serve important functions in bodily processes. Lipids are necessary for a body tissues to function and maintain their structure. Fat in the body also provides cushion for vital organs. By consuming fats, we also increase our feelings of satiety, preventing overeating.
There are plenty of food sources that contain fats, whether saturated or unsaturated. Animal sources such as meats, milk, cream, butter, cheese, egg yolks, and fish are excellent sources of saturated fat. Fats are also plentiful in plant sources including cooking oils, soybeans, nuts, avocados, coconut, and cocoa butter. It is recommended that fats make up 30% of total calories consumed.
The most commonly used fats in recipes on my blog are butter and vegetable oil. In most recipes, to make the recipe a little healthier, you may replace the butter with vegetable oil. However, do keep in mind that it would mean sacrificing the flavor of butter. Any recipes with peanut butter are also plentiful in healthy fats. Always remember to never restrict fats no matter what your health goal is. Instead, treat yourself to one of the recipes on my blog.
Source: Roth, Ruth A., and Kathy L. Wehrle. Nutrition & Diet Therapy. Cengage Learning, 2018.
