fats

							                                           FATS

These are also called lipids.
                                   PRIMARY TWO
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                                       /        \
                                     /            \
                                Triglycerides     Cholesterol

Dietary fat that makes up our daily intake of fat is more correctly called triglycerides.

Cholesterol is termed a steroid molecule. Cholesterol is also the start (precursor) of
testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol. One of the consequences in cutting out cholesterol
out of our diet is that hormone production can be compromised.

                                   GOOD AND BAD
Dietary fat slows gastric emptying (slows down digestion)
Fat-soluble vitamin absorption may be impaired when fat intake is too low.

                                  FOUR TYPES OF FAT

   1.   Transfats
   2.   Monounsaturated
   3.   Saturated
   4.   Polyunsaturated

Transfats:
Semi-solid at room temperature. Produced by bubbling hydrogen through vegetable oil.
This was done because a lot of products are produced using vegetable oil. Vegetable oil
by itself is not very shelf stable. So companies found a way to make this vegetable oil
more shelf stable. However, research has shown that consuming transfats causes a
plethora of negatives on health. Keep in mind that transfats are not suitable for human
consumption. This fat should be excluded from the diet completely.
Ex: margarine

Monounsaturated:
Liquid at room temperature. Main point about monounsaturated is that they help
maintain good cholesterol (HDL) and helps to lower bad cholesterol (LDL).
Ex: olive oil

Saturated:
Solid at room temperature. We get this through animal products. Saturated fats have
been wrongly vilified. This is because there is a number of fats that fall under the
umbrella of saturated fats. And some of these fats that fall under the family of saturated
fats are good for your health. Coconut oil is an example of a saturated fats that has been
shown to have positive health benefits.
Polyunsaturated:
You’ll know these fats as w-3 (omega 3) and w-6 (omega 6). These are your essential
fatty acids.
                      TWO TYPES OF POLYUNSATURATED
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                           /                          \
              ALA (alpha-linolenic)(w-3)          LA (linolenic)(w-6)

ALAs are your omega 3 fatty acids. LAs are your omega 6 fatty acids.

We get enough omega 6s in our diet. Sooooo…we’ll move into omega 3s.

                              BENEFITS OF OMEGA 3


      Decreased inflammation in the body
      Decreases risk of heart disease
      Decreased depression
      Can aid with fat loss

ALA is converted into EPA and DHA which is what constitutes fish oil.

Caloric considerations for fat: 1 gram=9 calories