Many women perceive fats in all forms as an enemy of a good figure. However, not in all cases this is true. Nevertheless, this issue should be disassembled in more detail in order to avoid many erroneous judgments.
Right and wrong fats
Before we divide all existing types of fats into those that are necessary for the human body and those that are harmful to it, we will understand what fats are.
Fats, also called triglycerides, are lipids in their class and are organic compounds of fatty acids and glycerol esters. In general, this chemical definition is not necessary to know, it is important to understand that all fats are divided into two types: saturated and unsaturated. The main thing that they differ is the chemical composition, from which the difference in their properties occurs.
Saturated fats
Saturated fats are part of the solid animal fats and are very simple in their structure. This type of fat is very quickly deposited on the body in the form of adipose tissue. These include:
- butter, cheese;
- kidney fat, interior fat, white fat on meat (including chicken skin);
- margarine, spreads;
- palm and coconut oil.
This type of fat is the most harmful to health, because it narrows the lumen of the arteries, which as a result leads to heart attack, strokes and other heart diseases.
Particularly contraindicated saturated fats for those who want to get rid of excess weight. Active use of such fats inevitably leads to disruption of the metabolism, because of which fat deposits accumulate on the body very intensely.
Nevertheless, saturated fats carry both harm and benefit: they can not be restricted at all, because they fulfill their complex function in metabolism. Nutritionists are advised to receive with food from saturated fats no more than 7% of calories per day.
Unsaturated fats
Unsaturated fatty acids are the most useful variant of fats. They are mainly found in seafood and vegetable oil. In turn, this group includes the following elements:
- Monounsaturated fatty acids. This type of acid is produced by the human body. They participate in the control of blood composition - for example, oleic acid, which is rich in olive oil, lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood.
- Polyunsaturated fats (omega-6) are important fats for human metabolism. They are contained in vegetable oils - sunflower, soy. In combination with a complex of omega-3 contribute to improving the health of the body as a whole.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3). This is the most useful type of fat, by the way, they are replete with fish oil, familiar to many from childhood. It is due to these polyunsaturated acids that fish oil is recognized as one of the best nutrition supplements. In addition to fish oil, the omega-3 complex can be obtained from rapeseed, soybean,
flax oil, however, plant variants are not capable of completely replacing the acids of marine origin. By the way, in order to ensure that the body was provided with this acid, simply 2-3 times a week to add to the diet of dishes from fatty fish (noted: the north of the species of fish, the more omega-3 it contains). - The only uniquely harmful are trans fats , which are a type of unsaturated fat. This type of fat, according to American scientists, is one of the causes of heart disease.
To summarize, it is worth noting that fats are necessary to the body, however, it must be "correct", unsaturated fats containing essential fatty acids for the body.