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Nutrients and its importance :: Macronutrients
FAT
The term lipid is applied to a group of naturally occurring substances characterized by their insolubility in water and their solubility in such “fat solvent” as ether, chloroform, boiling alcohol and benzene. Chemically, the lipids are either esters of fatty acids or substances capable of forming such esters. The word ‘lipid’ is used when discussing the metabolism of fats in the body whereas the term ‘fats’ is used the fatty component of foods and diets.

Fat is a concentrated source of energy stored by our bodies as reserve fuel. Fat is an important component of diet and serves a number of functions in the body.

Fats like carbohydrates are composed of the three elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The lower amount of oxygen in relation to the other two elements results in fat being a more concentrated source of energy than carbohydrates.

Lipids are very wide spread in nature among all vegetable and animal matter. Some compounds of this group, such as phosphatide and sterols are found in all living cells where, with the proteins and carbohydrates they form an essential part of the colloidal complex of protoplasm. Complex lipids are also found in large quantities in brain and nervous tissues.


CLASSIFICATION

The good and the bad

The important natural fatty acids and their occurrence

Medium Chain Fatty Acids

THE ROLE OF FAT IN THE BODY

  • Essential constituent of the membrane of every cell - Fat is present not only in the outer membranes of all cells but also in the internal membranes of the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum and the other membrane bound organelles.

THE ROLE OF FAT IN THE DIET

SOURCES

Fat content of foods

REQUIREMENT

The minimal requirement of visible fat to meet EFA requirements is in the range of 15-25 g/day for different physiological groups. One is the role of excessive intake of fat in diet in increasing the level of cholesterol in blood. Amount greater than 80g/day, may lead to an increase in blood cholesterol. To obtain this level of EFA in the diet, the visible fat intake should be 15-25 g/day in terms of oils like groundnut.

TIPS TO REMEMBER

  • Take just enough fat.
  • Use more than one source of cooking oil
  • Limit use of ghee, butter and vanaspathi.
  • Eat foods rich in α-linolenic acid (legumes, green leafy vegetables, fenugreek and mustard seeds).
  • Eat fish more frequently than meat, poultry and limit/avoid organ meats (liver, kidney brain, etc).

Source
Vijayapushpam et al. 2008, Fat: Human Health. NIN, Hyderabad.
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