Fat, an essential macronutrient, provides energy, organ protection, cell nutrients, vitamin absorption and hormone synthesis. Nomads thousands of years ago relied on fat for energy and satiation. Today, humans typically consume too much fat through foods fried in animal-based oils, fast food, larger portions and processed foods. Due to rising obesity rates in the United States and other parts of the world, doctors and dietitians developed low-fat or non-fat diets to reduce fat intake and reduce weight. Overall, low-fat diets result in little or no permanent weight loss; non-fat diets lack fat, a key macronutrient required by humans.
Types of Fats
Fat falls under three categories: saturated fats, non-saturated fat and trans fats. Saturated fat, primarily from animal products such as butter, lard and meats, increases low-density lipoproteins, also known as LDL (bad cholesterol). Daily intake of saturated fats should be limited to 10 percent of daily calories from fat. Oils produced from plants such as olive oil, vegetable oil and flaxseed oil contain high concentrations of unsaturated fats. Consumption of unsaturated fats rather than saturated fats helps to lower LDL cholesterol and decrease cardiovascular disease risk. Trans fats are created by the process of hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. Hydrogenation of unsaturated fats increases shelf life of these oils. Common foods containing trans fats include processed cakes, baked goods and chips. The FDA requires all food labels to list trans fats because consumption of elevated amounts of trans fats increases bad cholesterol and decreases HDL, or good cholesterol.
Benefits of Fatty Foods
Fat consumed in amounts less than 30 percent of daily calories, composed primarily of unsaturated fats, improves health. Foods containing less than 30 percent calories from fat increase satiety, making you feel fuller longer. Increasing satiety regulates food consumption, decreasing incidence of over-eating, and helps to control and maintain weight. Note that over-consumption of any macronutrient, whether fat, protein or carbohydrates, will result in weight gain; energy not used by the body will be stored as fat.
Essential Unsaturated Fats
Fatty foods range from fast food to salmon steaks; both provide fat, but they differ in the type of fat. Food containing unsaturated fats provides more health benefits compared with food containing high amounts of saturated fats. Unsaturated fats include two essential fatty acids: omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 and omega-6 can be healthy when consumed in a ratio of 25:1. Salmon, flaxseed, avocados and walnuts provide omega-3 fatty acids, which decrease cardiovascular disease risk and have been tied to decreasing diabetes, depression, arthritis, blood pressure and cancer risks. Common sources of omega-6 fatty acids include meats; consume in moderation.
Misconceptions
A common misconception about consuming fatty foods: "Fatty food will make me fat." Eating foods containing fat, whether saturated or unsaturated, will not make you fat if consumed in moderation. Over-consumption of fatty foods will increase weight, increase body fat and over time may increase risk of cardiovascular disease. Another common misconception about fatty foods is that a diet containing little or no fat will result in weight loss. A low-fat diet may result in weight loss, if the low-fat diet contains fewer calories than previously consumed. Yet, low-fat diets typically result in over-consumption of foods due to the lack of fat, which is required to improve satiety and decrease hunger. Therefore, diets with fat and a slight caloric deficit increase satiety, improve health and promote controlled and safe weight loss overall.
The "Good" Fatty Foods
Foods containing essential omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, anchovies, cold-water fish, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, olive oil, olives, walnuts and walnut oil. Common foods containing unsaturated fats include unprocessed foods, vegetable-based oils and olive oil-based salad dressings. To increase consumption of unsaturated fats and decrease consumption of saturated fats, bake foods rather than deep frying, use olive oil and reduce consumption of red meats and fast food. Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids and other unsaturated fats can improve health and increase quality of life.
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