What are the saturated fats?
Fats, also called lipids, are used in our body as an energy source.
They are the “fuel” of our organism, together with carbohydrates. However, they also have a structural, regulatory and transport function.
In an optimal diet they should represent 25-30% of calories, while in the weaning phase they should reach up to 40% and from 1 to 3 years around 35-40%.
They can be divided into three main groups:
- Saturated: these are all animal fats (butter, lard, etc.) and tropical fats such as palm and coconut.
- Trans: in nature they are present only in animal products, while vegetable fats are produced by the food industry starting from vegetable fats by hydrogenation.
- Unsaturated (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated) which are all vegetable fats excluding tropical and industrially produced trans fats. They are found in olive oil, seeds, nuts and oilseeds and their creams. They are what are called “good fats”.
Saturated and trans fats are harmful for our body, while unsaturated fats are beneficial, although of course we must not exaggerate with their consumption, because they are very caloric.
Another classification concerns their state:
1.Solid fats: these are the ones that at room temperature appear in a solid state. They are almost all from animal sources (butter, lard), except for tropical vegetable fats and trans fats.
2.Oils: at room temperature they are liquid. Most vegetable fats are oils and are all unsaturated.
In addition to foods consisting only of fats, such as oils, fats are also found in many other foods, both plant and animal.
The 100% vegetable diets are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and are cholesterol free. In lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets there are also saturated fats and cholesterol, deriving from eggs and dairy products. In omnivorous diets fats are found in all meats, including fish, as well as in eggs and dairy products.
Independently from the type of diet, it should be paid attention to the intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids, usually scarcely represented in any type of diet.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)