What comes to our minds when we hear the word “fat”? People have different thoughts on the importance of fat in our body. As a result, people tend to self-diagnosed themselves with either cutting down (low fat diet) or consuming more than the recommended amount of fat needed in a day. Fat is a macronutrient essential in our daily diet.

Fat contributes a lot in our body functions. Fat acts as an immediate source of energy, aids in absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, E and K, component in building cell membrane, essential for blood clotting, muscle movement and inflammation, helps in managing mood, fights fatigue and protects the organs and brain.

We can identify good and bad fats! Good sources of fat are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which are mostly plant-derived. These can be found in vegetables, nuts, seeds, fishes such as salmon, sardines, anchovy, and mackerel, avocado, eggs and oils extracted from olives, peanuts, canola, corn, sunflower and safflowers. On the other hand, bad sources of fats are saturated fats and trans fat. These can be found in commercially-baked pastries, cookies, donuts, cakes and pizzas, stick margarine, butter,  vegetable shortening, whole fat dairy products such as milk, cheese and cream, packed snacks like crackers and chips, fried foods such as chicken skin, French fries and breaded fish and red meat like beef and pork.

Truth is, not all fats are harmful for our health. We just need to choose beneficial fats over harmful fats. Do not cut down or increase fat intake without the advice of your registered nutritionist-dietitian. Remember that your weight gain does not only depend on your fat intake but from your total calorie intake. Practice your healthy diet by replacing trans fat and saturated fat with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats! (NKSLoyola)

Sources:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/choosing-healthy-fats.htm