Fats and Oils
What are FATS??
• Fats are nutrients in
food that the body uses
to build nerve tissue
(including the brain and
nerves) and hormones.
• The body also uses fat
as fuel.
• Unused fats are stored
by the body in fat cells.
Why Some Fats Are Healthy
Good Fats
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aid in the absorption of some vitamins
(vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble,
meaning they can only be absorbed if
there's fat in a person's diet)
are the building blocks of hormones
are necessary for insulating all nervous
system tissues in the body
help people feel full, so they're less
likely to eat as much
Fat is a great source of energy but has
twice the amount of calories compared
with the same amount of carbohydrates
or protein.
For example, 1 gram of fat provides 9
calories, whereas 1 gram of both
carbohydrates and protein provide 4
grams each.
About Fat
Dairy products as source of Fat
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Desserts and snacks
(including potato chips,
chocolate, cakes,
doughnuts, pastries, and
cookies) are a significant
source of fat.
• Kids also get fat from
whole-milk products and
high-fat meats, such as
bacon, hot dogs, and nonlean red meat.
Good Fats and Bad Fats
Types of Fats
• 1. Unsaturated fats: Found in
plant foods and fish, these fats
are seen as neutral or even
beneficial to heart health.
• The types of unsaturated fats are:
• monounsaturated, found in
avocados and olive, peanut, and
canola oils
• polyunsaturated, found in most
vegetable oils
• omega-3 fatty acids, a type of
polyunsaturated fat found in oily
fish like tuna and salmon
Saturated Fats
• 2. Saturated fats:
• Saturated fats are found in meat
and other animal products, such
as butter, shortening, lard,
cheese, and milk (except skim or
nonfat),
• saturated fats are also in palm
and coconut oils, which are often
used in commercial baked goods.
• Eating too much saturated fat
can raise blood cholesterol levels
and increase the risk of heart
disease.
Trans Fats
• 3. Trans fats:
• Found in margarine (especially
the sticks),
• commercial snack foods and
baked goods, and some
commercially fried foods,
• trans fats (also called trans fatty
acids) are created when
vegetable oils are hydrogenated
(meaning that hydrogen atoms
are added to the fat molecule so
they remain solid at room
temperature).
More about Trans Fat!!
• Trans fat is a fatty acid formed through a
chemical process called hydrogenation.
Hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to
reconfigure the fat molecules into solid fat.
• partial hydrogenation because it increases
shelf life and flavor stability.
• Trans fat is most commonly found in some
of America’s favorite processed foods:
baked goods, crackers, snack foods,
shortening and some margarines.
• Natural levels of trans fat can be found in
meat and dairy products, but there is no
scientific consensus to conclude that trace
levels of natural trans fat causes dietary
harm.
• Why is trans fat unhealthy?
Trans fat raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL,
or “bad” cholesterol) and reduces highdensity lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”
cholesterol).
Kids and Fat intake
How Much Fat Should Kids Get?
• Although some people may
think it's wise to try to cut fat
altogether, it's crucial for fat to
stay a part of a child's diet.
• For young kids, especially, fat
and cholesterol play important
roles in brain development.
• Ages 2 and under - fat should
not be restricted.
• Ages 1 to 3 years - 30% to 35%
of calories coming from fat.
• Ages 4 to 18 years - 25% to
35% of calories.
Cholesterol
Good Vs. Bad Cholesterol
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Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like material that is
found in various parts of the body. It comes
from two sources -- the liver produces it, and
we consume it in animal products,
particularly meat and dairy products.
There are two main types of cholesterol: HDL
and LDL.
LDL cholesterol is more likely to clog blood
vessels because it carries the cholesterol
away from the liver into the bloodstream,
where it can stick to the blood vessels.
HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol,
on the other hand, carries the cholesterol
back to the liver where it is broken down.
LDL cholesterol is the bad kind, so call it
"lousy" cholesterol — "l" for lousy. The HDL is
the good cholesterol, so remember it as
"healthy" cholesterol — "h" for healthy.
• Cholesterol floats around in
your blood and can get into
the walls of the blood vessels
and stay there.
• If you have too much
cholesterol in your
bloodstream, a lot can collect
in the blood vessel walls,
causing these "pipes" to
become narrower. This can
clog the blood vessels.
• If the clogging gets worse over
many years, it can cause
damage to important body
parts, like the heart (heart
attack) and brain (stroke).
Review
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All fats and oils are a mixture of
saturated fatty acids and unsaturated
fatty acids.
Solid fats contain more saturated
fats and/or trans fats than oils.
Oils contain more monounsaturated
(MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA)
fats.
Saturated fats, trans fats, and
cholesterol tend to raise “bad” (LDL)
cholesterol levels in the blood, which in
turn increases the risk for heart disease.
To lower risk for heart disease, cut back
on foods containing saturated fats,
trans fats, and cholesterol.