Some people talk of eliminating fats from their diets completely because of the negative health effects that occur when they're consumed in excess. People consume fat-free diets in hopes of losing weight. While you shouldn't consume too much fat, fats are important for health and normal functioning. Fats are essential because they provide fatty acids, which cannot be made by the body and must be obtained from food.
Function
Fats are organic compounds comprised of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Fat supplies energy to the body. It provides nine calories per gram, more than the other nutrients, carbohydrates and protein. Fatty acids are important because they control inflammation, blood clotting and brain development. Fats also serve as storage when the body receives extra calories. Fats maintain healthy hair and skin and increase feelings of satiety.
Types
Fats can be saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated or trans fats. Healthy fats are unsaturated, and include the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated kinds. These fats help to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in your blood and reduce the risk of heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Common sources of monounsaturated fat include olive, peanut and canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds. Rich sources of polyunsaturated fat are vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. Unhealthy fats include saturated and trans fats. They increase your risk of heart disease by raising total and LDL cholesterol. Saturated fat is found in animal products, coconut and palm oil. Trans fat is found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, commercial baked goods, fried foods, shortening and margarine.
Fat-Free Products
Fat-free products have had the fat removed and other ingredients added in order to make them look and taste like the real thing. Fat-free food is not necessarily calorie free. Many fat-free foods are actually comparable in calories to the foods they're meant to substitute. People who consume fat-free foods may actually increase the amount of calories they consume because they don't watch portion sizes. Additionally, some foods labeled fat free contain fat. According to federal guidelines, a product can contain up to 0.5 g of fat per serving and still be labeled fat-free.
Naturally Fat-Free Foods
The National Institutes of Health states that the bulk of your diet should consist of naturally low-fat foods. If you want to consume fat-free foods, look for those that are naturally fat-free. Naturally fat-free foods include most fruits and vegetables, legumes and some whole grains. Naturally fat-free fruits include blueberries, tomatoes, apples, grapes, jams, jellies, grapefruits, kiwifruits, mangoes, cantaloupes, honeydew melons, papayas, peaches, plums and watermelons. Naturally fat-free foods in the vegetable group include beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, onions and peppers.
Expert Insight
Fats are essential for the proper functioning of the human body. The National Academies' Institutes of Medicine even sets minimum fat intakes for two types of polyunsaturated fats. Based on average calorie intake in the United States, men should consume about 17 g a day of linoleic acid, present in high levels in vegetable oils, such as safflower oil or corn oil. Women should consume about 12 g per day. For alpha-linolenic acid--present in milk and some vegetable oils, including soybean and flaxseed oils--the recommendations are 1.6 g and 1.1 g per day for men and women, respectively. The American Heart Association recommends that total fat intake be no more then 25 to 35 percent of your total calories each day.
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