Fats - Calories and Nutrition
The foods in this group are
best eaten sparingly because, although they're an energy source, they
contain few nutrients. They include fats, oils, margarine, butter, cream,
refined sugar.
Don't be fooled into thinking
that they're entirely 'bad' foods, though. Fat is actually an important
contributor to your good health.
Fat - Nutrition and Calorie
Facts
- Fat transports fat-soluble
vitamins A, D, E and K through your body.
- Fat cushions your internal
organs.
- Fat makes food taste nicer.
- Fat contains essential
fatty acids (EFAs), which are thought to have a positive effect on the
health of your heart and immune system.
- Fat is a concentrated
source of energy.
It's this last point that
has got fat such a bad reputation. Just 1g of fat provides 9 calories
- more than double the calories in 1g of protein or carbohydrate. This
means that if you eat a lot of fatty foods, you're likely to put on weight.
However, understanding unsaturated and saturated fats can help.
Saturated and Unsaturated
Fat can be divided into two
groups - saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fat is generally
solid at room temperature and it's usually from animal sources. It's found
in lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese, whole milk and anything these
ingredients are used in, such as cakes, chocolate, biscuits, pies and
pastries. It's also the white fat you can see on red meat and underneath
poultry skin. The less saturated fat you eat, the better - a high intake
has been linked with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Saturated
fats also include "Hydrogenated Fats" or "Trans-Fats"
- frequently found in commercial bakery products and margarines.
Unsaturated fat is
usually liquid at room temperature and generally comes from vegetable
sources. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat are both included in
this group. Unsaturated fat is a healthier alternative to saturated fat
and can be found in vegetable oils, such as sesame, sunflower, soya and
olive oils; oily fish, such as mackerel, sardines, pilchards and salmon.
For Optimum Nutrition and
Calorie Control
Eat up to 30 Percent Calories from Fat
US government guidelines
recommend that fat makes up no more than 30 percent of the total calories
in your diet. Of this, a maximum of 1/3 may be saturated fat.
More Nutrition and Calories
Information
For more nutritional and
calorie information about foods, please see:
Nutrition - Fruit/Veg
- Carbs - Protein
- Dairy - Fats
- Sugars
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Sources include: BBC Health
(London), US Dept of Agriculture
See also:
Calories from Fat
Calculating Percent of Fat Calories
Fat Percentage vs. Fat Content
Calories per Gram of Fat
Fat Calories
Fat Replacers
How to Reduce Fat Calories
Nutrition and Fats
Nutrition and Calories in
Oils and Fats
For calorie details of 2500
Foods, see Calories
in Foods
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