CHAPTER 5
Presentation on Lipids – Good Fats vs. Bad Fats: Which to Choose for Good Health

* Why a moderate intake of lipids is an essential part of healthy diet? * Compare and contrast the physical properties and food sources of saturated and monounsaturated fats * Describe how and where lipids are broken down, absorbed, and transported throughout the body used to make the phospholipids of all of our cell membranes and to make hormones and numerous bioactive compounds. * Describe the significance of the blood tests for HDL and LDL cholesterol. * Describe the roles of omega -3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the body and the importance of achieving a balanced intake. * Justify the recommendation to eat fatty fish instead of relying on fish oil supplements. * Describe the formation and structure of trans fatty acids, and discuss the possibility of eliminating them from the diet. * Develop a diet plan that provides enough of the right kinds of fats within Calorie limits.

Introducing Lipids Lipids in foods and in the human body fall into three classes. 3 Classes of Lipids: 1. Triglycerides – about 95% 2. Phospholipids – (of which lecithin is one) 3. Sterols – (cholesterol is the best known of these)

Usefulness of Fats in the Body When people speak of fat, they are usually talking about triglycerides. The term fat is more familiar. Fat is the body’s chief storage form for the energy from food eaten in excess of need. The storage of fat is a valuable survival mechanism for people who live a feast-or-famine existence. Fats also provide most of the energy needed to perform much of the body’s work, especially muscular work.

Polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, saturated fats

In our "guide to understand foods" we'll start off with fats.. Hated by most and yet loved by most….because who doesn't like the forbidden fruit? Anyways, here's a great guide to help you understand what kind of fats there are, and what their purpose is.
Fats: polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, saturated fats.
Healthy Fats
All the cells in the body have some fat in them, in their cell membrane. Hormones are also made from fats. Basically: fats are really useful. If you would cut them from your diet, then your hormonal production will go down, which means you could less easily gain muscle mass. There’s plenty of other bad things that would happen if you were to cut fats out. As a reaction, your body will then start accumulating more body fat than usual so that it has enough fat to keep on functioning. Since testosterone production is halted, so is muscle building. Therefore, in order to have an efficient metabolism we need fat.
"Saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated” are the three types of fats. There are very big differences between each of them.

a) Saturated Fats: Saturated fats are found in big proportions in products of animal origin. Usually, saturated fats are associated with high cholesterol levels, atherosclerosis and heart disease.Foods that contain a high proportion of saturated fat are butter, ghee, suet, tallow, lard, coconut oil, cottonseed oil and palm kernel oil, dairy products (especially cream and cheese), meat as well as some prepared foods.Dehydrogenation converts saturated fats to unsaturated fats. Hydrogenated oils are usually found in packaged foods.

b) Polyunsaturated Fats: These fats do not have any effect in cholesterol levels. A lot of fats in vegetable oils (eg. corn, soybean and sunflower oil) are polyunsaturated.
c) Monounsaturated Fats: These fats are usually high on the essential fatty acids. They have a positive effect on the good cholesterol levels. Monounsaturated fats are found in natural foods like nuts and avocados, and are the main component of olive oil (oleic acid). They can also be found in grapeseed oil, ground nut oil, sesame oil and corn oil. Canola oil is 57%−60% monounsaturated fat and olive oil is about 75% monounsaturated fats.

Summary
Fats have an influence on your hormonal production. Twenty percent of your calories should come from good fats. Any less, and your hormonal production will go down. Any more than 20% and you will start accumulating plenty of fat.

Cholesterol - a member of the group of lipids known as sterols; a soft, waxy substance made in the body for a variety of purposes and also found in animal-derived foods.
Fats - lipids that are solid at room temperature (20°C or 68°F). oils - lipids that are liquid at room temperature (20°C or 68°F). cardiovascular disease (CVD) - disease of the heart and blood vessels; disease of the arteries of the heart is called coronary heart disease (CHD). lipids - a family of organic (carbon-containing) compounds soluble in organic solvents but not in water. Lipids include triglycerides (fats and oils), phospholipids, and sterols. triglycerides - one of the three main classes of dietary lipids and the chief form of fat in foods and in the human body. A triglyceride is made up of three units of fatty acids and one unit of glycerol. Triglycerides are also called triacylglycerols. phospholipids - one of the three main classes of dietary lipids.
These lipids are similar to triglycerides, but each has a phosphorus-containing acid in place of one of the fatty acids. Phospholipids are present in all cell membranes. lecithin - a phospholipid manufactured by the liver and also found in many foods; a major constituent of cell membranes. Sterols - one of the three main classes of dietary lipids. Sterols have a structure similar to that of cholesterol. essential fatty acids - fatty acids that the body needs but cannot make in amounts sufficient to meet physiological needs.