1 gram = 9 calories

Fat is not always the “bad guy”.  We need fat for many reasons.   Fat acts as a storage substance for the excess calories we consume, not just calories from fat but also carbohydrates and proteins.  Fat is vital in maintaining healthy hair, skin, and transports fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.  Fats also provide us with essential fatty acids that our bodies can’t produce (more on those later).  Fat aids in many bodily functions including regulation of cholesterol in your blood and regulation of blood pressure.

Often referred to as lipids, fats can be in solid or liquid form.  Despite carbohydrates being your body’s preferred fuel choice, fats are the most highly concentrated fuel choice over protein and carbohydrates.  This is why foods high in fat are higher in calories.

The important thing to know about fats is what kind and how much we should include in our diets.  Too much and we store excess body fat, too little and we impair bodily functions and even impair fat loss. You see your body naturally wants to keep body fat around in case we run into times of famine.  Not just for the excess calories but for the proper function of organs that require fat. 

If you don’t consume enough dietary fat, your body will want to continue to hold on to stored fat.  On the other side of that coin, if you have an adequate supply of dietary fat your body will release fat stores.  Since you are getting a constant supply of fat, there is no point in carrying around excess weight in the form of fat.  Knowing this we want to ensure we get enough fat in our diet, but we want to make sure it is the right kind of fat to reduce the chances of storage.

Fats are found in combinations of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. 

• Saturated fats:

  Animal sources like meat, milk, and butter.  Vegetable, coconut and palm oils are also highly saturated. 

With the exception of these oils saturated fat is usually solid at room temperature.

• Unsaturated fats:

• Monounsaturated fats: such as olive, peanut and avocado oils
• Polyunsaturated fats: such as corn, sesame, and safflower oils. 

Unsaturated fats usually remain liquid at room temperature.

There is sub group of fats often ignored, these are called Essential Fatty Acids.  Essential fatty acids (EFA’s) are part of the unsaturated fats group.  

• Essential Fatty Acids:

• Omega-6 or linoleic acid: Found in margerines, shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils
• Omega-3 or alpha linolenic: Found in flaxseeds, and in cold water fish such as, salmon, sardines, albacore tuna, mackerel and rainbow trout.

Although your body can make up different kinds of fats, it can’t make up omega-6 or omega-3. They have to be supplied through the diet, hence the term “essential”.

These EFA’s may help you lose fat and build muscle, as they are involved in the production of anabolic and growth hormones.  Today very few people get enough EFA’s in their diets to benefit from them.  Well to be more accurate, the average North American consumes enough omega-6.  Unfortunately, it’s usually been highly processed and often filled with free radicals and trans fatty acids. 

Trans fatty acids can contribute to heart disease, lower immune responsiveness, decrease testosterone and damage insulin responsiveness. If you see the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated on a product label, they contain trans fatty acids in there and you don’t want to purchase it.

It is important to maintain a proper balance with our dietary intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.  Since we consume enough omega-6 in our diets already, we must ensure that we supplement our diets with omega-3.  Flaxseed oil is the best source of omega-3 fatty acids available.  A couple tablespoons a day is recommended to aid in the balance.  An easy way to get the proper balance of EFA’s is to use blended oils like “Udo’s Choice Perfected Oil Blend”.  Keep in mind when you are supplementing your diet with oils, they still count towards your daily calorie intake, generally a tablespoon of oil is around 14 grams of fat or 126 cals.

Good fat choices are:

• Udo’s Choice Perfected Oil Blend (or similar blend)

  – This is a great product, it has a mild flavor and can be used in a vinaigrette dressing that makes it an easy addition to any diet.  It contains the perfect balance of EFA’s that our bodies need.  Do not heat this oil or expose it to light, once opened it must be stored in the refrigerator.

• Natural Peanut Butter

  – I don’t mean Skippy and Jiffy type peanut butter.  Those processed peanut butters have additives like corn syrup solids, hydrogenated oils and sugar.  I’m talking about the natural stuff, just peanuts and salt.  This peanut butter has a layer of oil formed on the top of the jar that has to be mixed in then refrigerated.  If the fat is an issue for you, you can pour some of the oil out, but I would keep it so you know how much fat you are consuming per tablespoon.  Peanuts may be high in fat but only 2 out of 14 grams of fat are saturated. Don’t be fooled by “light” peanut butter, this is still processed.  Just stick with the natural kind.

• Flaxseed Oil

  – Flaxseed oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, in fact it is probably the best available source.  It is unstable oil, in that it must be stored in a cool dark environment and must be refrigerated once opened.  Diets high in flaxseed oil may create an imbalance between the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, keep this in mind if you choose to supplement your diet with flaxseed oil.  Like the Udo’s Choice oil, flaxseed oil should also not be heated.

• Peanut Oil/Grape Seed Oil

  – For cooking, peanut or grape seed oil are the oils of choice.  They can maintain thier integrity at a higher temperature than other oils.  When oils are heated they are exposed to light, oxygen, and high temperatures all at once.  This breaks the oil down creating trans fatty acids, if you are going to fry food peanut or grape seed oil are your best options.

Fat Summary: 

• Can be in solid or liquid form
• Calorie dense
• Aids in many bodily functions
• Too much dietary fat can result in fat storage, too little can impair bodily functions and fat loss
• Two main types of fat, saturated and unsaturated
• Sub group of unsaturated fats, EFA’s (omega-6 and omega-3)
• Maintain proper balance between EFA’s
• Excess dietary fat stored more readily than any other macronutrient

So now you know what macronutrients do once ingested, by understanding the effects of these macronutrients we can make clearer choices to help us with our goals.