Fat has gotten a bad reputation recentl, yet fat in the diet is essential to good health. Besides severing as an additional energy source, fats also known as lipids, give flavor to many of the foods we eat.
Fats also insulate the body ; cushion vital organs, protecting them from injury ; serve as carriers for the four fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) ; and contribute to hormone systhesis and the blood clotting mechanism.
Unused fats, like extra carbohydrates, are stored as "fat tissue" and draws on by the body when they are needed for energy. Stored fats are the greatest nutritional reservoir in the body.
Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats. They are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and small amounts of oxygen. The terms "saturated" and "unsaturated" are used to describe the hydrogen component of fats.
Saturated fats, found in meats, butter, coconut oil, and palm oil, have all the hydrogen atoms they are capable of holding. A saturated fat is usually solid at room temperature.
An unsaturated fat is capable of holding more hydrogen atoms than it does. Polyunsaturated fats (such as corn, soya, sunflower, and cottonseed oil) and monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil) are two classes of unsaturated fats.
Polyunsaturated fats tend to lower blood cholesterol; monounsaturated fats do, too, but to a lesser degree. Unsaturated fats are usually liquid at room temperature. They can be changed to solids by hydrogenation, which involves bubbling hydrogen gas through the liquid oil. Some experts think people who eat high proportions of saturated fats may have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
