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As you know, fats are of plant and animal origin. All fats have a high energy value, which means they have a high calorie content. When broken down, one gram of fat releases as much as 9.3 kcal (it is customary to round up to 9 grams). These calories in the body can be stored as fat stores in the liver, subcutaneous adipose tissue, kidneys, and other fat stores. The accumulation of fat in the body depends not so much on the nutrient itself as on the excess of calories. When more calories are supplied from the diet than needed, the fats from the food are sent by the body for storage.
The merits of fats include the following: they improve the taste and quality of food, ensure the absorption of certain minerals from the intestines, they are a source of fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, K.
Saturated and Unsaturated Fat – What’s the Difference?
The composition of fats contains saturated fatty acids, which are found in animal and bird fats, as well as unsaturated ones, which prevail in most vegetable oils. Polyunsaturated fatty acids determine the adaptation of the human body to unfavorable environmental factors, they also regulate the metabolism in the body, in particular, cholesterol.
An excess of fats, which are rich in saturated fatty acids, provokes indigestion, leads to a deterioration in the absorption of proteins, and also contributes to the development of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases.
By themselves, saturated fat is essential for our body. It is with their participation that the most important sex hormones are synthesized – testosterone in men, estrogen and progesterone in women. However, their number must be controlled.
Functions of fats in the body
In the body, fats perform many important functions: energy, construction, protective, transport, heat insulation, they contribute to the dissolution of a number of vitamins.
I would also like to draw your attention to the following circumstance. Muscle tissue is “metabolically active” because it participates in the body’s vital processes. And adipose tissue – “metabolically inactive”, is a store of energy that is required as needed. It follows that having muscle mass helps you burn a significant amount of calories all day. At the same time, muscles are much denser than fat, respectively, they take up less space.
Daily fat requirement
Fat requirements are calculated based on the actual weight of each person and range from 0,7 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. Use the Body Parameter Analyzer to navigate further calculations.
People whose weight is within the normal range need to consume 1-1,1 g of fat for each kilogram of their weight. Thus, the requirements for fat in grams will be approximately equal to your weight in kilograms (for example, with a weight of 56 kg, you will need 56 g of fat).
Overweight and obese people need to consume 0,7-0,8 g of fat for each kilogram of their weight.
In a healthy diet, fat should be 20-30% of the average daily calorie intake. You should not drop fats below normal, as this can be fraught with hormonal imbalances. Many people think that by reducing fat to 0,5 g per kilogram of weight, they will lose weight faster, but this is not so. We get fat not from fat, but from excess calories. Therefore, for a comfortable weight loss, it is important to observe a calorie deficit and a BJU balance.
A rise in fat up to 2g may be due to some medical condition or dietary protocol, such as the keto diet.
Regardless of what numbers you get, the fat content in your diet should be as follows:
- Polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) – 1,8-3 g (we are not talking about a capsule, but about the content of the substance itself);
- Saturated fat – no more than 1/3 of the total fat;
- Everything else is unsaturated fats, predominantly from plant sources.
What foods to look for fats?
Below we give a small list of foods that are high in fat, remember them. The number indicates the fat content in grams per 100 grams of the product:
- sunflower and olive oil (and most liquid oils) – 100
- butter – 82
- pork (dewlap) – 68
- mayonnaise – 67
- funduk – 67
- cod liver oil in oil – 66
- Brazil nut – 66
- walnut – 65
- pine nut – 61
- almonds – 58
- processed cheese – 46
- bacon – 45
- soft cheese – 33
- cheddar – 32
- chocolate – 31
A complete list of foods sorted by fat reduction can be found on this page.
Therefore, we advise you to use everything in moderation and remember that frying increases the amount of fat many times over.
There are four simple ways to reduce your fat intake:
- Stop frying in oil, and use a non-stick frying pan for this;
- In one or two meals, there are lean proteins like lean fish, chicken fillets, low-fat cottage cheese;
- Remove skin from poultry and trim off visible fat from meat prior to cooking;
- Avoid fast food, sausages and convenience foods.
You cannot completely give up fat. Remember that their insufficient intake into the body can harm, lead to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system, potency, to weaken the immune system, and contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Well, an excess of fat leads, first of all, to obesity, to the accumulation of large amounts of cholesterol in the blood, to memory impairment.
Now you know your rate of fat intake, you know which foods to eat are bad for your figure. It remains to choose healthy foods, and observe the rule of moderation.