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Fats - Coggle Diagram
Fats
What are the different types of fats and how do they differ from each other?
Monounsaturated fats
Polyunsaturated fats
Saturated fats
Trans fats
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are classed as 'healthy fats'. Saturated fats and trans fat are 'unhealthy fats'.
What are the functions of fat in the body?
To provide a store of energy in the adipose tissue under the skin.
To insulate the body from the cold and help it to stay.
To protect bones and the kidneys from damage by providing them with a protective cushion of fat.
To give the body soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K
What foods do we get fats from?
Monounsaturated - peanut butter, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts and pistachios.
Polyunsaturated - oily fish (kippers, mackerel and salmon), rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, walnuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds.
Saturated - processed and fatty meats like sausages, ham, burgers, bacon, cheddar, whole milk, cream, ice cream, butter, lard, ghee, suet, palm oil and coconut oil.
Trans - fried foods and takeaways, biscuits, cakes, pies, pastries, hard margarines made with hydrogenated oil.
How much fat do we need in our diets?
Men should have less than 30g of saturated fat per day.
Women should have less than 20g of saturated fat per day
Men and Women should have less than 5g of trans fat per day
Children should have less trans fat and saturated fat per day than adults.
What are the effects of a deficiency of fat in the diet?
If carbohydrate intake is also reduced, body weight will be lost - the body will use the store of energy from the fat cells and it will not be replaced.
The body will chill quickly - there will not be enough fat to insulate the body from the cold
The body will bruise easily and the bones will hurt if they are knocked - there will not be a thick enough cushion of fat (adipose tissue) to prevent damage to blood vessels and bones.
The body will not receive enough vitamins A, D, E or K - these vitamins are found in food that contain fat.
What are the effects of excess fats in the diet?
If the energy from fat eaten in foods every day is not all used in physical activity, it will be stored by the body under the skin in adipose tissue and elsewhere in the body (e.g. around the intestines (visceral fat)). Consequently, the body will gain weight and could become obese.
Eating a lot of foods that contain high levels of saturated fatty acids has been linked to the development of coronary heart disease.