Foods containing the right fats. Use in cooking and cosmetology

Surely you guess that fats in food are often the cause of extra waist. This is true: it is in fats that the largest number of calories lies, and a person’s love for fatty foods can sometimes be difficult to handle. Few people adhere to the norm - fats should make up no more than 20% of the daily diet (this is about 40-50 g). Chips, any fried food, confectionery creams, sausages - all this allows you to quickly exceed the norm, even if you have eaten very few of these products. If you choose low-fat foods, chances are you'll have far fewer problems with being overweight.

We can conditionally divide everything we eat into several groups, based on the amount of fat in foods. According to the fat content per 100 grams of the product, five categories can be distinguished, which indicate which foods are rich in fat and which are low-fat.

1. Foods high in fat (more than 80 grams). These are vegetable, butter, ghee (mostly vegetable fat is presented in products of this kind), margarine, lard, cooking fats. All this should be used in food in a limited way, since such products can lead to rapid weight gain if they get carried away too much.
2. Foods high in fat (20 to 40 grams). These are almost all types of cheese, cream and fat sour cream (from 20% fat), ducks, geese, pork, as well as sausages of all kinds, milk sausages, sprats, any cakes, chocolate, halva. Such products should also be used very carefully and moderately, because, unlike the first group, which is usually used little by little, many people do not know the measure in these products.
3. Moderate fat foods (10 to 19.9 grams). These are fatty cottage cheese, cheeses, ice cream, eggs, lamb and chickens, beef sausages, tea and diet sausages, as well as fatty fish - salmon, sturgeon, saury, herring, caviar. These products are recommended to be consumed regularly, since they, with a relatively low fat content, can easily fit into any diet, which is why they become the basis of a correct, balanced diet.
4. Foods with a low fat content (from 3 to 9.9 grams). These are milk, fat yogurt, semi-fat cottage cheese, beef, lean lamb, horse mackerel, mackerel, pink salmon, low-fat herring, muffin, sprat, and fondant sweets. Such foods can be included in the diet without fear, because even if you eat them relatively much, it will not harm you and your figure so much, but it will give the body the necessary fats.
5. Low fat foods (less than 3 grams). These are beans, cereals, protein milk, low-fat cottage cheese, cod, hake, bread, pike perch, pike. It is absolutely safe to eat these products, they are suitable even for those who adhere to weight loss.

Needless to say, foods containing fats have varying degrees of usefulness for the body. It depends on the type of fat.

Fats in food: good and bad

Unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats for humans are the most useful, and they are in available vegetable oil. Saturated fatty acids, on the contrary, are solid, difficult to digest and not very useful for humans (these are mutton and beef fats, lard, palm oil). Foods with saturated fats should be limited in the diet. So let's recap:

1. Foods containing saturated fats- cheese, egg yolk, lard and meat, lard, shrimp and lobster, milk and dairy products, chocolate, cream, palm, coconut and butter.
2. Foods containing unsaturated fats- peanuts, olives, poultry, avocados, game, cashews, olive and peanut oils.
3. Foods containing polyunsaturated fats- almonds, seeds, walnuts, fish, corn, linseed, rapeseed, cottonseed, sunflower and soybean oils.

Fatty foods have long been considered harmful, both for the body as a whole and for the figure. However, not all fats have a negative effect on our body. Fatty acids are divided into and unsaturated. The former have a simple structure and solid form. Once in the blood, they form special compounds that settle in the form of a fatty layer. Excessive consumption of foods high in animal fats leads to obesity and cardiovascular pathologies.

Not all fats are harmful and dangerous to the human body. Unsaturated (vegetable) fatty acids are the “right” fats. They have a positive effect on well-being, and, despite the complex molecular formula, they do not clog blood vessels, but move freely through the arteries, increasing their elasticity, removing cholesterol. A lot of healthy fats in seeds, nut kernels, seafood, vegetables.

Monounsaturated fatty acids and their importance

This type of substances is divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Each type has its own advantages and features. Both options remain in a liquid state at any temperature. When deciding to include monounsaturated fats in a diet for men or women, you should understand what foods contain these substances. This type of useful elements enters the body along with the active components of rapeseed and sunflower oil, they are also found in peanuts and olives.

A group of scientists have conducted repeated studies, thanks to which they were able to prove that foods containing unsaturated fatty acids, in the right proportions, are effective for losing weight and gaining muscle mass during training. In addition, MUFA:

• helps fight low hemoglobin and breast cancer;
• improves the condition of patients with joint diseases such as rheumatism and arthritis;
• promotes the cleansing of blood vessels and arteries.

For a person leading an active lifestyle, the daily intake of unsaturated fatty acids is 20% of the total energy value of the menu. When purchasing products in supermarkets, be sure to carefully study the packaging. The labels always indicate the content of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

This type of useful substances is not synthesized by our bodies. They get to a person from the food that we consume. Foods rich in fats are necessary to improve the functioning of the brain, nervous system, the functioning of the heart muscle and blood vessels.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids and their uses

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are divided into two types - omega-3 and omega-6. It is important to understand what these substances are and what they contain, because you can only replenish their reserves in the body with the help of food.

Omega-3 prevents pathologies of the heart muscle and stroke, lowers blood pressure, improves heartbeat and normalizes blood composition. Also, scientists came to the conclusion that the use of this substance helps to prevent the development of acquired dementia. PUFAs are indispensable during pregnancy and lactation, because everything that enters the mother's body receives the developing fetus.

You can saturate the body with omega-3 by supplementing the menu with certain products. What is a food rich in PUFAs? Pay attention to this list:

• fatty fish;
• flax seeds;
• soy and legumes;
• walnut kernels;
• shrimps.

Omega-6 is found in small amounts in avocados, eggs, whole grain bread, hemp and corn oil. This substance is necessary for the normal functioning of the digestive tract, improving the function of hematopoiesis, it is also involved in the formation of cell membranes, the development of vision and nerve endings.

If you introduce foods low in solid (saturated) fats into the diet, and at the same time increase the consumption of vegetable analogues, this will improve the overall tone of the skin and muscles, allow you to lose weight and improve metabolic processes.

The need for PUFAs increases with intense physical exertion, during a period of active growth, pregnancy, in the event of diabetes, heart disease. To reduce the consumption of fats should be with allergic manifestations, pain in the stomach, lack of physical activity, people in old age.

What to include on the menu

Unsaturated fats belong to the group of easily digestible substances. But you can not abuse food rich in these substances unique in their composition.

To speed up the absorption process, eat foods that have not been heat-treated. The melting point affects the breakdown of these substances and the rate of absorption into the blood. The higher it is, the worse the element is absorbed.

Unsaturated fatty acids are involved in the formation of the human immune system, brain and heart function. They improve memory, attention and help in the fight against depression. Without fat, the body does not absorb vitamins A, D, K, E. Eat healthy fats daily, the list of products presented in the table below will allow you to develop a complete and balanced menu for every day.

Fats are one of the most necessary elements for the normal functioning of the body. In particular, fats contain a large amount of energy and are an essential component in the construction of new cells. Depending on the origin, fats are divided into vegetable fats and animals. This article will focus on the first group.

What foods contain vegetable fats

One of the most common products containing vegetable fats, is a sunflower. But there are other plants in which it is contained in abundance, for example:

Properties of vegetable fats

vegetable fats(vegetable oils) - a product of organic origin, obtained as a result of the processing of vegetable raw materials. Vegetable fats cannot be synthesized by the human body, and therefore they are classified as essential substances.

The composition of vegetable fats

Any fats of plant origin primarily include triglyceride fatty acids. Also important elements are various kinds of chemical compounds. Since, in turn, vegetable fats are divided into several varieties, their composition varies greatly. This is how liquid vegetable fats, called oils (sunflower, olive, etc.), and solid ones, which, for example, include coconut oil, are isolated.

The benefits of vegetable fats

Benefits of vegetable fats due to the indispensability of the components that make up their composition. The benefits are as follows:

• With their use, the body receives up to 85% of the energy that is necessary for proper functioning.
• They contain vitamins of groups A. D. E
• They contain the essential amino acids Omega-3 and Omega-6
• They contain substances that promote faster tissue repair and slow down the aging process.
• Contribute to complete and proper digestion

Harm of vegetable fats

It is also worth mentioning the question of harm from eating vegetable fats. Here it is immediately worth noting that the harmful effects can manifest themselves only with their very frequent consumption. Harm can also manifest itself in the following:

• After processing vegetable fats at high temperatures, it is better not to eat them, as they can lead to thinning of the walls of the arteries.
• Modified vegetable fats contribute to the production of free radicals, which in turn increases the risk of cancer.

Calorie content of vegetable fats (table)

All types of vegetable fats on average contain 850 kcal per 100 g of product. Based on this, you can calculate its calorie content depending on the amount:

Vegetable oils (vegetable fats)- these are fats extracted from various parts of plants and consisting mainly (95-97%) of triglycerides of higher fatty acids.

The main source of vegetable oils are various oilseeds. The most common vegetable oils are sunflower, olive, cocoa butter, rapeseed, linseed, etc. Palm oil has recently become popular, the harm and benefits of which are discussed on this page below, under the appropriate heading.

Like animals, plants store fat in order to store some energy for future purposes. The difference is that the animal usually does this for itself (anticipating a period of malnutrition), while the plant does it for future generations. Those. in order for the future generation to survive, the parent plant accumulates and transfers energy to the embryo, including in the form of fat. Based on this, it is not difficult to assume that the main amount of fat in plant material will be found mainly in seeds or fruits.

Oils are obtained from plant material by pressing(under pressure, the liquid part of the plant material flows out, after which it is collected) or by extraction with organic solvents or liquefied carbon dioxide (after extraction, the extractant is distilled off, and the remaining vegetable oil is collected). After that, the vegetable oil is subjected to purification, or, in other words, refining.

An important aspect of the production of vegetable oils for the consumer is such a stage as deodorization (literally means odor removal: des - "removal", odor - "smell"). During this stage, vegetable oils are purified from substances that give it flavor.

Thus, if you see the inscription “refined, deodorized, cold pressed” on the label of vegetable oil, this means that the oil was extracted at a low temperature (done to separate it from the vegetable fat fraction with a high melting point), after which it subjected to cleaning, as a result of which it became transparent (without suspended solids) and practically odorless.

Fatty acid composition of vegetable fats differs depending on the type of plant.

The main difference between vegetable fat and animal fat is the higher content of unsaturated fatty acids (primarily oleic and linoleic). So, in sunflower oil, the content is more than 70%. Among the unsaturated fatty acids, the most important ones are separately distinguished, such as linoleic (omega-6) and linolenic (omega-3) acids (now omega-9 acids, for example, oleic acid, are also isolated).

These fatty acids, unlike, cannot be formed in the human body as a result of certain chemical reactions of metabolism, but are essential for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, as well as for the regulation of inflammation processes in the body. Thus, these acids must be ingested with food. All vegetable oils are rich in them to one degree or another. However, the most valuable sources of these acids are vegetable fats such as wheat germ oil, linseed, camelina, mustard and soybean oils, and walnut oil.

Another positive aspect of vegetable oils is the almost complete absence (this is true for any vegetable oil, not just the one that says “0% cholesterol!” on the label). So the replacement of animal fats with vegetable oils to some extent helps to reduce cholesterol in human blood, thereby providing an additional preventive effect for the cardiovascular system.

Harm of palm oil

It should be noted that non-traditional fats, such as palm oil, which are often used in the food industry, have recently become the subject of sharp criticism due to its “danger” to human health. This is wrong. The harm of palm oil is often exaggerated. The whole problem with palm oil is that it contains more saturated fatty acids than other vegetable oils and is therefore not an important source of unsaturated fatty acids. That is, palm oil is not harmful in the truest sense of the word, it is only biologically less valuable than, for example, olive oil. But it also has positive qualities - for example, the oil becomes rancid as a result of the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids by atmospheric oxygen. If there are no or few of them in fat, then there is practically nothing to be oxidized. This property is often used in the confectionery industry to increase shelf life. Relatively speaking, palm oil is a natural analogue of margarine. As you know, it is a hydrogenated vegetable fat (from unsaturated made saturated), and palm oil is naturally saturated. It resembles margarine and outwardly.

On the other hand, there are problems with the quality of the palm oil itself. Thus, there is often a situation when non-edible (technical) palm oil is imported into the country. This allows you to save on customs payments, in addition, it is cheaper in itself. It is assumed that this oil will be further processed and brought to the level of food. But some unscrupulous manufacturers don't bother with it and use it as is. What harm will be from such palm oil, one can only guess. On the label of food products with such oil, most often they write simply “vegetable fat” or “confectionery fat”, without an exact indication of the source plant.

It cannot be said that this is typical not only for palm oil - the culture of food production in our country is still quite low, and such phenomena are typical for many.

Random Fact:

Most often, in the "Composition" column on food packaging, information goes in descending order of the amount of ingredient —

Article added by user Maria
02.11.2016

Vegetable fats

Vegetable oils or fats are a product of natural origin, which are obtained during the processing of vegetable raw materials. The human body is not capable of synthesizing vegetable fats on its own. Because of this, vegetable fats are classified as chemicals that are indispensable for the human body, the supply of which must be replenished frequently.

To obtain vegetable fats in the industry, fruits and seeds of oil plants are used. These include soybeans, olives, rapeseed, fruits of some types of palm trees, sunflowers and other plants. Quite often, oil-containing wastes are used for the production of these fats, which are obtained during the processing of raw materials of plant origin. For example, rice, corn, grape or cherry seeds, as well as pumpkin and wheat germ.

There are several oilseeds from which fats are made:

• Sunflower
• oil palm
• Cotton
• European olive
• Coconut palm
• soybeans
• Peanuts cultural

There are also several families, such as:

• Anacardiaceae (cashew oil);
• Legumes (peanut butter, peanut butter, soybean oil, or soybean oil);
• Asteraceae (artichoke oil, soflor oil and sunflower oil);
• Beech (beech oil);
• Dipterocarpaceae (Shorea oil);
• Grape (grape seed oil or grape seed oil, grape seed oil);
• Borage (cucumber oil);
• Cereals (rice bran oil or rice oil, wheat germ oil or wheat oil, corn oil);
• Cabbage (mustard oil, rapeseed oil, camelina oil or camelina oil);
• Poppy (poppy oil);
• Palm (coconut oil, babassu oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil);
• Pumpkin (melon oil and watermelon oil);
• Tea (tea oil)

The difference between vegetable and animal fats

Animal and vegetable fats have different physical properties and composition. They are not difficult to distinguish from each other by external indicators. Vegetable lipids are fluid oils and animal fats are solids. An exception is fish oil, because it is in a liquid state.

You need to pay attention to the composition. Plant lipids are more dominated by unsaturated fatty acids, which have a low melting point. But the composition of animal fats includes a large amount of saturated fatty acids, which melt at high temperatures.

They also differ in their origin. The source of animal fats is pork fat, which contains 90-92% fat. Vegetable oils containing 99.9% fat are considered sources of vegetable fats.

It is worth replacing that unsaturated and saturated acids, which are contained in fats, are used in different ways by the human body. Saturated, such as palmitic or stearic, are needed as an energy material. These acids are present mostly in animal fats, such as beef and pork. You need to know that an excess of saturated fatty acids increases cholesterol levels and provokes metabolic disorders.

Compared to animal fats, vegetable oils have unsaturated fatty acids, which contribute to the removal of excess cholesterol from it and are easily absorbed in the human body.

There is much more vitamin F in vegetable lipids. With a lack of this vitamin, a person can get sick with various vascular diseases: heart attack or atherosclerosis. In addition, numerous chronic diseases appear and immunity weakens.

The composition of vegetable fats

The chemical composition of vegetable fats includes triglyceride fatty acids. In addition, vegetable fats contain natural compounds associated with acids (wax, phospholipids, as well as sterols and free fatty acids).

vegetable fat calories

Energy value in the ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates: Fats: 99.8 g. (~ 898 kcal) Proteins: 0 g. Carbohydrates: 0 g.

The benefits of vegetable fats

A scientifically proven fact is the benefits and importance of vegetable fats for the body. It is essential for a living organism to consume a certain amount of healthy fatty acids daily with food. The composition of plant lipids includes a huge amount of vitamins E, D, A, in addition to this, the amino acids Omega-3 and -6.

Harm of vegetable fats

In addition to the benefits of this product, it is necessary to notice the possible harm of vegetable fats. If you uncontrollably and often eat vegetable fats, they can be harmful. In addition, in the composition of certain types of products, for example, in the manufacture of ice cream, vegetable fat is used.

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