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Fats Quiz

FATS – QUALITY MATTERS

Along with protein and carbohydrates, fats are among the main nutrients in human nutrition. Since they have the highest calorie count at 9 kcal per gram, they don’t have the best reputation. It is often forgotten that fat is vital for us and fulfils many important tasks. But beware! Not every fat has good intentions in our body! When selecting dietary fats, the motto is quality over quantity.

NOT ALL FAT IS THE SAME

From a chemical point of view, dietary fats consist of different fatty acids. The saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are mostly known. The unsaturated fatty acids are further subdivided into mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Just as with carbohydrates or proteins, the chemical structure determines what kind of function fats have in the body and whether they have a positive or negative effect on our health. Most fatty acids have pros and cons, and as it is often the case, the dose makes the poison.

MONO-UNSATURATED FATS PROTECT OUR HEART

Monounsaturated fatty acids are among the fatty acids that you can consume regularly without a guilty conscience. They have a positive influence on our blood lipid levels and ensure a healthy heart. Significant amounts are found in olives, olive oil, canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.

WHY YOU SHOULD EAT FISH REGULARLY

Of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in particular play an important role. Both fatty acids are essential, which means they have to be ingested through food because our body needs them but cannot produce them itself. In terms of their function, the fatty acids have opposite effects. The omega-3 fatty acids have an anti-inflammatory effect, lower blood pressure and improve the flow properties of the blood. Omega-6 fatty acids do exactly the opposite. In fact, we need both directions, just in the right balance. Through the amount of fatty acids supplied through food, we can control which metabolic pathways are primarily supported. Of course we want to push the omega-3 route. For this reason, there should be plenty of food with high-quality omega-3 fatty acids on the menu. This includes particularly fatty sea fish such as salmon, mackerel or herring. Vegetable omega-3 sources include flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts and the respective oils from them. Unfortunately, the vegetable omega-3 fatty acid can only be utilized by our body to a very small extent. If you don’t like fish, you can also get the valuable omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil capsules or algae oil.

Since the typical Western diet contains far too many omega-6 fatty acids, the consumption of these fatty acids should be consciously limited for the sake of your health. Omega-6 fatty acids are abundant in vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower or soybean oil (all so-called germ oils). Seeds and nuts are also high in omega-6 fatty acids and should be consumed in moderate amounts. Animal foods such as butter, cheese or meat from conventionally bred animals also contain increased amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. Products from grazing animals, on the other hand, tend to contain more omega-3 fatty acids.

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Omega 3 fatty acids are considered important brain food because they are an important component of cell membranes and thus play a crucial role in brain development and function.

NOT EVERY OIL IS SUITABLE FOR HEATING

A basic distinction is made between native and refined edible oils. If the seeds, cores or fruits of a plant are pressed out without adding heat, the oils are referred to as “native” or “cold-pressed”. Your advantage is the high quality: thanks to the careful extraction, flavors, vitamins and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are considered healthy, are retained. A disadvantage is the low heat stability: the valuable ingredients are lost when heat is applied. If the oil starts to smoke, even harmful substances can be produced. Refined oils, on the other hand, are obtained under the influence of heat and chemicals, which is why they can be heated to high temperatures without any loss of quality. However, these oils contain hardly any valuable ingredients such as vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids, as these are lost during the manufacturing process. Prefer coconut oil, clarified butter/ghee and refined olive, rapeseed or sunflower oil for hot cooking. Native or cold-pressed oils should be used to refine cold dishes.