The other day, I discovered that while bone broth is on the new crest of popularity in the world, in Ukraine its popularity has tragically fallen for unknown reasons, if not threatened with extinction. A bone broth that is considered the basis of healthy guts all over the world, the key to a well-established digestion, the number one in postpartum (and almost any) recovery, in Ukraine, is suddenly reduced to a fillet ?broth at best on weekends. Who said bone broth was harmful and why everyone agreed and threw it out of the diet – no one explained to me. In the meantime, it is a major vitamin in my family.
However, today I wanted to talk about fats, because the myth of fats harm is much easier to follow: there was a time when science claimed that fats raise cholesterol, which threatens heart problems. But science is not in its place. It turned out that there are two cholesterols, and that causes heart problems – you can still argue. One thing is for sure: fats are necessary, and their excess can affect the figure.
Two major problems of nutrition, and of science in general, are the splitting of a product into elements instead of a holistic approach, and the misinterpretation of research and the dissemination of these findings in the media. It is also, unfortunately, quite popular today to flesh out research into the personal preferences and preaching of a particular diet. Therefore, nutrition has such a controversial look.
I say: everything in nutritional science depends on the context, each case haa to be considered individually, because each person is unique, with its genome, diseases and special needs. There is no ideal diet for everyone, and one cannot choose one just because you like it.
Fats are nutrients that give us energy. They have 9 calories in each gram. Fats help in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, that is, are absolutely essential in the diet. They are saturated or unsaturated, and most fatty foods have both types of fats, just usually there is more than one of them in the product.
There are 4 types of fats, regardless of whether they are vegetable or animal: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated are useful, and trans fats are harmful and saturated in the middle. Let’s take a closer look at each species.
▪️Transivers
mainly created by industry, that is, they are not natural, but a by-product of processing: margarine, McDonald’s, liver, popcorn and the like. Even small amounts of such trans fats are harmful.
But there are also natural trans fats contained, for example, in the unpopular now
red meat, this type of trans fats is useful as opposed to artificial trans fats produced by hydrogenation and used in the food industry. These natural trans fats are classified as omega-7, and can help raise the level of good cholesterol by reducing bad cholesterol (yes, cholesterol is bad and good). In addition, trans-acid is a form of conjugated linoleic acid (one that helps build muscle rather than store fat).
▪️Saturated fats
contained in red meat, dairy products, raw, coconut oil, etc. (these are fats that solidify at room temperature). It was thought that a diet rich in saturated fat could raise total cholesterol and increase the balance towards more harmful cholesterol, leading to the formation of blood clots in the arteries of the heart and other parts of the body. Therefore, most nutritionists still recommend limiting saturated fats to less than 10% of calories per day. But there is controversy in the scientific community about saturated fats, and it is also believed that replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated ones leads to heart problems and the like. Recent studies say that the damage to saturated fats is greatly exaggerated, and yet they are recommended to replace them with polyunsaturated, but not completely supplant the diet. At present, saturated fats are not associated with an increased risk of heart disease. However, they are probably not as healthy as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
As for me, all of these science battles are irrelevant to those who eat well. I see the problem only in ecology, because not only is it important that we eat it, it is also important that it eats what we eat. Today, the meat found on the shelves differs significantly from the meat consumed by our ancestors, it is not fed naturally, it does not choose what to eat, and the fact that animals that are artificially nourished become at least less valuable m ‘ anger, not to mention the hormones and antibiotics used to give it a ‘commercial appearance’ and kill the bacteria. Animal food and drugs can be transformed into toxins in human food.
But here’s the fact: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in 2017 found that consuming 0.5 servings of meat per day did not increase lipids, blood pressure, lipoproteins, or other risk factors for heart disease. Just eat no more than 200g of meat a day, and you wish, for heaven’s sake, less.
Not all fats in red meat are harmful. Red meat also provides polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, in much larger quantities. Up to 10 percent of total calories can come from polyunsaturated fats, while 20 percent can come from monounsaturated fats. This equates to 22 grams of polyunsaturated fat and up to 44 grams of monounsaturated fat per day.
For example, our favorite fat contains approximately equal amounts of saturated and unsaturated fats and much more than anywhere else essential for the body of lanolic acid (this is what helps the body build muscle rather than fat).
Good fats are found mainly in vegetables, nuts, seeds and fish, but this does not mean that the rest of the products can be simply eliminated from the diet, because the product is not only made of fats.
▪ Polyunsaturated fats
are necessary for the normal functioning of the body, their two main types are omega-3 (salmon, sardines, herring, flax, walnuts, etc.) and omega-6 (seeds, vegetable oils, etc.).
▪ Monounsaturated fats
these are vegetable oils, nuts, avocados and more.
The last two are most welcome in the diet, it is undoubted. But I vote for balance in everything and for intuitive eating.
I hope I shed some light on the fat ? Be healthy!
