Quality Fats
Fat doesn’t make you fat, but fat DOES do some amazing things in the body (1)!
Slows the absorption food, which plays an important role in blood sugar balance
Needed to for the absorption of A, D, E, and K vitamins
Creates long lasting satiety
Valuable source of energy
Needed for sex hormone creation
Needed for healthy cell membranes
Helps manage inflammation
Makes food taste great
Fats are categorized by their level of saturation. The level of saturation indicates their stability - or in more common terms - how susceptible it is to going rancid and how sensitive it is to heat, oxygen, and light. Saturated fats are the most stable, monounsaturated fats are less stable, and polyunsaturated fats are the least stable and most fragile. This is also an important consideration when understanding how a fat can be heated or cooked. Saturated fats are generally great for high heat cooking, while polyunsaturated fats are the most fragile and can’t handle heat very well, monosaturated fats fall somewhere in between.
Keep in mind, all fats are generally a combination of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fatty acids (1). For categorization purposes though, it’s a matter of which ones are most dominant in the food you’re consuming. In fact, we’ve often wrongly vilified certain foods for their fat composition, which is a lot like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Some of the dominant fats listed above may surprise you. A good example of this is lard, which in fact, has slightly more monounsaturated fat than saturated fat (1).
Some of these types of fats are also implicated in the inflammation process. Omega 3 and Omega 6 polyunsaturated fats have anti-inflammatory properties while saturated fats have an inflammatory pathway. We want the ability to inflame and anti-inflame and keeping inflammation in check is very important. Acute inflammation can be a critical component of the healing process. However, what we don’t want, is chronic low grade inflammation wreaking havoc on our body’s. This is why good quality polyunsaturated fats play a critical role in optimal health. In addition, while they are only needed in small amounts, they are considered essential and are required by the body.
Getting a good balance of different types of fats is key, so switching up the fats you use and introducing a variety of sources is a great strategy. In addition, choosing a fat based on how you’ll be cooking and knowing the smoke point is critical to ensure we don’t create unhealthy byproducts (2).
The next time you’re looking to create a meal or looking for a snack, switch things up and try to consider what temperature you’ll be cooking at, along with whether you’re getting the variety your body is looking for, to create optimal health.
References
(1) Nutritional Therapy Association. Basics of Nutrition Student Guide. Olympia, WA.
(2) Nutritional Therapy Association. Culinary Wellness Pt. 1 Student Guide. Olympia, WA.