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When we hear the word ‘fat’, the first association is gaining weight. Of course, owing to some of them our figure can take well-rounded shape, but there is also a group of fats that you can consume without worrying about weight gain. Where can we find them? What kind of fat are these?
The most healthy are unsaturated fats. These healthy compounds can be found in sea fish, oils, nuts and avocados.
For proper functioning, the human body needs carbohydrates, proteins and fats in balanced propotions. Each of these ingredients plays a different role. Fats are the best source of energy, they also serve to protect the body against cold and transport vitamins A, D, E and K, which are needed for the production of enzymes and hormones. The main problem for man is the right choice of combinations of various glycerol esters that do not harm the body. Animal products, i.e. the most popular ones such as meat, dairy or butter, contain saturated fats that are not as useful and healthy as the unsaturated ones.
Where can we find unsaturated fats?
Products containing unsaturated acids
An avocado
Unsaturated fats that is the healthiest for the body can be found e.g. in avocados. Tasty fruit is one of the few in which the dominant ingredient is not simple sugars, but fat with a high content of monounsaturated acids and omega-3. The compounds have a beneficial effect on cholesterol metabolism and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The effect of avocados on body weight is an interesting issue. This fruit has a high fat content, making it one of the most calorific fruits. 1 fruit, without stone, weighing 100 g is about 160 kcal. Despite this, however, many studies have shown that people who eat this tasty fruit are much less likely to be overweight, and also provide more dietary minerals and fiber along with their diet than people who do not consume avocados. What’s more, it has been proven that eating fat with the right proportions of fatty acids (1/3 saturated fatty acids, 1/3 monounsaturated fatty acids and 1/3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) affects appetite suppression, which leads to the consumption of smaller amounts of food, including carbohydrates – the main culprit in obesity.
Nuts
Another source of healthy fats are nuts that contain a large amount of compounds rich in unsaturated fatty acids with anticoagulant properties and lowering the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. The greatest amount fat can be found in macadamia, brazil nuts, the least in peanuts, pistachios, cashews and almonds. Varying your daily diet with closed fruits – such as nuts is therefore recommended. It is worth emphasizing that eating even a small portion is fairly enough to be able to enjoy their unusual properties. This is because simple fats are healthy for the body and owing to them instead of gaining weight, we can keep the previous shape or even lose weight. In 100 g of hazelnuts we find 48.8 g of monounsaturated fatty acids, in the same amount of peanuts – 22.9 g, while in pistachios – 32.5 g.
Oils
There are many oils in the world extracted from various products such as avocados, rice, sesame, cranberry, corn and nuts. These are vegetable oils containing simple unsaturated fats, which are beneficial to human health and owing to them we do not gain weight. All vegetable oils should be protected from light that destroys their properties. Heat has also harmful impact on them – the ideal temperature is around 7 degrees Celsius.
Fish
Fish – that is another source of healthy fats for humans, especially those oily and inhabiting the sea, because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These are the unsaturated fatty acids that significantly affect the functioning of our circulatory system. First, they prevent heart attacks because they prevent the blood clotting, that is one of the causes of myocardial anemia. Secondly, they prevent atherosclerosis and hypertension by lowering blood triglyceride levels. And thirdly, omega-3 fatty acids have the wonderful power of lowering LDL cholesterol, i.e. “Bad cholesterol” in favout of HDL or the so-called “Good cholesterol.” In short, this means that oily fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardine and herring are healthy for the body and do not contribute to weight gain. It is best to choose fresh or frozen ones, and when it comes to the canned version, the best ones are in a sauce or in water.
References & External links
- Achremowicz, Konrad, and Katarzyna Szary-Sworst. “Wielonienasycone kwasy tłuszczowe czynnikiem poprawy stanu zdrowia człowieka.” Żywność. Nauka. Technologia. Jakość 3.44 (2005): 23-35.
- Minkowski, K., S. Grzeskiewicz, and M. A. R. Z. E. N. A. Jerzewska. “Ocena wartości odżywczej olejów roślinnych o dużej zawartości kwasów linolenowych na podstawie składu kwasów tłuszczowych, tokoferoli i steroli.” Żywność Nauka Technologia Jakość 18.2 (2011).
- Całyniuk, Beata, et al. “Piramida żywienia–wczoraj i dziś.” Probl Hig Epidemiol 92.1 (2011): 20-24.
- Materac, Ewa, Zbigniew Marczyński, and Kazimiera Henryka Bodek. “Rola kwasów tłuszczowych omega-3 i omega-6 w organizmie człowieka.” Bromatologia i Chemia Toksykologiczna 2.46 (2013).
- Cichosz, Grażyna, and Hanna Czeczot. “Kwasy tłuszczowe izomerii trans w diecie człowieka.” Bromat. Chem. Toksykol 45.2 (2012): 181-190.
- Ostasz, Lidia, and Elżbieta Kondratowicz-Pietruszka. “Charakterystyka kwasów tłuszczowych omega-3 oraz ocena poziomu wiedzy o ich działaniu zdrowotnym.” Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Krakowie 874 (2011): 139-161.
- Stasiak, Dariusz, et al. “Dietetyka. Żywienie w zdrowiu i chorobie.” (2016).
- Elżbieta, Kondratowicz-Pietruszka. “Charakterystyka profilu kwasów tłuszczowych wybranych olejów roślinnych.” (2010).
Translations
| The article "Can fat be healthy and do good to your shape?" in other languages | |
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| Czy tłuszcz może być zdrowy i dbać o Twoją sylwetkę? po Polsku: Czy tłuszcz może być zdrowy i dbać o Twoją sylwetkę? |  |
