When it comes to consuming fat, almost all people wrinkle their noses and shy away because they believe that all fats should be exterminated from the diet. But that's a big mistake, because every nutrient has a function, and with fat it's no different.
Nutritionist Juliana Menezes, explains that the fat performs various functions in our body. "Fat provides energy, aids in the absorption of vitamins (A, D, E and K), protects organs, contributes to the maintenance of body temperature (subcutaneous fat) and contributes to the formation of hormones," he says.
But the big question is how to differentiate between good fat that which is not good for our health. According to the expert, unsaturated fat It helps to lower cardiovascular disease as well as total cholesterol and LDL (so-called bad cholesterol) and maintain HDL (good cholesterol). "But they are still divided into two subgroups: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats," explains Juliana.
Monounsaturated fats are found in foods such as olive oil, canola oil, olives, avocados and oilseeds, which are peanuts, nuts, walnuts and almonds. Polyunsaturated fats are found in foods containing omega 3, which are cold-water fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon. And also in vegetables like soy, canola and flaxseed. Foods that have omega 6 are also rich in polyunsaturated fats and are composed of soybean, corn and sunflower vegetable oils.
It is important to maintain a balance between the consumption of these fats so that their benefits are truly achieved. But it turns out that the population consumes a greater than ideal amount of omega 6? Warns the nutritionist. Fats are good, but try not to overdo them because they are high in calories. "Each gram of fat provides 9 kcal and the number is more than double compared to other nutrients," he warns.
Get away from the bad fats
And the bad fats are the famous saturated and trans. They facilitate the increase of cholesterol and LDL and contribute to the onset of cardiovascular problems. And the processed products are the champions in trans fats. This fat is often present in foods such as stuffed cookies, cakes, pies, creams, ice cream and margarines.
"Trans fat is very harmful to health because, in addition to raising bad cholesterol, it can lower good cholesterol levels," warns the nutritionist. So a tip: be aware of food labels and check whether or not there is trans fat in its composition.
Already saturated fats are present in foods of animal origin, such as meat, milk and derivatives, butter, palm oil and coconut. "In these cases you can choose to consume lean versions of these same foods," explains the expert.
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