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It is unreasonable to fight with fats! Doctors and nutritionists insist: those who include them in their meals win both in taste and in benefits. Although not all fats and not in any quantity are good for us.
For a long time, it was considered “right” to completely eliminate fats from your diet in order not to gain excess weight and stay healthy. And indeed: from the habit of eating (too) fatty foods daily to problems with well-being and figure – just one step. However, when it turned out that not all lipids are our enemies, and without some (for example, polyunsaturated fatty acids) our existence is completely impossible, the attitude of nutritionists to fats began to change. Which of them are especially useful for us and how best to use them? Key questions are answered by our experts.
What are fats for?
The answer is simple: we cannot survive without them. “Fat is the best form of energy storage,” explains nutritionist and endocrinologist Alla Shilina. Compare: when burning one gram of fat, 9 kcal is released, while when burning the same amount of proteins or carbohydrates – only 4 kcal. Fats are part of cell membranes, are involved in the production of certain hormones and neurotransmitters. Our brain is almost 60% fat, of which about a third comes from food*. In short, they allow us to work longer, think more clearly and maintain a good mood.
What if we don’t eat them?
Lack of them in the diet adversely affects health. “In a person who does not consume enough fat, over time, a violation of the separation of bile (cholestasis), constipation may begin, and the risk of fractures increases,” warns Alla Shilina. “In addition, there may be a deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins in the body.” With a lack of fatty acids, vitamins A, D, E, F, K are no longer absorbed, and because of this, sensitivity to stress increases, a feeling of depression occurs, vision decreases, the skin loses its elasticity and fresh appearance. From a psychological point of view, the rejection of any kind of food puts us in a state of “cognitive limitation”: we force ourselves to disconnect from our sensations (especially hunger and satiety), feelings and emotions – in a word, from everything that can knock us out of a state of self-control ** . But it’s impossible to live like this all the time: it’s enough to be tempted by just a piece of a forbidden product – and the whole system loses its brakes …
How much fat do we need?
“The daily diet, on average, brings us about 2000 kcal, and there should be at least 70 g of fat in it,” says nutritionist-endocrinologist Alla Shilina. – Even if you are trying to reduce weight, make sure that their number does not fall below 20 g per day: 1-2 tbsp. l. olive oil (or in combination with flaxseed) plus 20 g butter. It is necessary for the normal functioning of our body. Nutritionist Jean-Michel Lecerf gives an example for a regular diet:
- 120 g of meat (preferably beef, veal or poultry); or 150 g of fish
- (at least twice a week, and once – oily fish); or 2 eggs;
- 200 g milk 1,5% fat;
- 1 natural yogurt;
- 1 slice of cheese (about 40 g);
- 10–20 g butter;
- 2 tbsp. l. rapeseed oil (as a condiment);
- 2–3 tbsp. l. olive oil (for cooking)
Don’t they get fat?
We know that fatty foods are more caloric than protein or carbohydrate foods, and moderation is important with it. But at the same time, fat is different from fat: it sounds incredible, but some fats not only do not contribute to weight gain, but also do not interfere with losing weight! Thus, the Mediterranean menu, containing the right dose of well-chosen fats, helps to achieve and maintain harmony much better than extreme “fat-free” diets. “For people who are overweight, nutritionists even recommend consuming omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids,” explains nutritionist Jean-Michel Lecerf. “This generally promotes the breakdown of fats in the body and slows down the process of their accumulation” ***.
Are vegetable fats always healthier?
The answer is not so clear, emphasizes Jean-Michel Lecerf: “For example, all experts recognize the virtues of oily fish, but warn against the use of palm oil – and it is vegetable oil! It is much more important to distinguish useful polyunsaturated fatty acids from polyunsaturated ones – the latter are burned with difficulty, slow down the processing of other fats, and can accumulate in excess in the body, which is dangerous for the cardiovascular system. Trans fats are also undesirable for her: they are obtained from liquid vegetable fats using partial hydrogenation, which helps to make the product solid (for example, margarine). Therefore, we are not talking about completely abandoning animal products – among fats of any origin, we must distinguish between those that we need and those that we can do without.”
The best way to cook and eat
- Vegetable oils: Olive oil is suitable for all types of cooking, and the oleic acid (omega-9) it contains is great for the cardiovascular system. Rapeseed oil, rich in omega-3s, is suitable for dressing (it is better to add it to the dish after cooking). And flaxseed is 60% omega-3, although it oxidizes very quickly: you can mix it with a quarter of the volume of olive oil.
- Butter: Very useful for breakfast: a 10 g piece on a slice of toasted bread – and our body receives a message that it does not need to produce endogenous cholesterol (it is deposited on the walls of blood vessels). After all, you can’t do without cholesterol at all: cortisol and sex hormones are not produced by the body without its participation.
- Oily fish: Tuna, salmon, mackerel or herring are preferred fresh. The longer the fish is butchered, the more essential omega-3s are oxidized. (Thus, there are much fewer sushi that lie on the supermarket shelf.) Frozen fish is best consumed within three months from the moment of freezing. And cook in a double boiler or oven – and for as short a time as possible.
- Nuts: Almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts – the fruits of oil plants contain healthy fatty acids, phytosterols (these substances help reduce the concentration of cholesterol in the body), vitamin E, magnesium and calcium. It is better to buy nuts unsalted, unroasted and in small quantities: over time, the oils contained in them can go rancid.
- Meat: Preferably farm-raised and in moderation! Animal fats are mostly polyunsaturated fats, but animal nutrition also plays an important role: if they are raised on intensive feeding, the chances that their meat will contain useful polyunsaturated fatty acids are reduced to zero. The same applies to poultry meat.
- Eggs: Their protein contains only proteins. There are few proteins in the yolk, much more lipids, which will be more or less saturated – depending on the nutrition of the chicken. Needless to say, it is much better to choose rustic, organic eggs, rather than hatchery ones?
Read more:
- 10 reasons to think about fish
* For more information, see the Franklin Institute website fi.edu/learn/brain/fats.html
** The state of “cognitive limitation” was described in the mid-1970s by American researchers Peter C. Erman and Janet Poliy (Peter C. Herman, Janet Poliy).
*** J.-M. Lecerf, M.-J. Hermant “A desire for health on the plate” (Du Quesne, 2007).