Swole Food (Lipids)

On the third part of the Swole Food series, I will be discussing lipids (or fats).  Unlike carbohydrates and protein in which each gram is 4 calories, there are 9 calories for each gram of fat.  Fats are very calorie dense.  There is a misconception that all fats are bad for you which is completely false.  There are actually many fats that are actually very good for you.  They help with providing energy, brain function, hormones, makes you feel fuller when eating, etc.  Still there are negatives with consuming too much fats such as high cholesterol and weight gain.

Unsaturated Fat

Unsaturated fats are basically fats that are liquid in room temperature.  Examples of unsaturated fats are olive oil, vegetable oil, fish oil, nut oil, avocado, seed oil, etc.  Unsaturated fats have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and maintain HDL cholesterol.  

Saturated Fat

Saturated fats are fats that are solid in room temperature.  These include animal meat, dairy (milk, butter, cheese), eggs, etc.  Generally people should limit the amount of saturated fats in their diet as they are known to increase LDL cholesterol, but do not eliminate it from your diet completely.  Some is okay.  There are healthy saturated fats such as coconut oil.  Coconut oil is actually very good for you.

Cholesterol

As many people are told, "cholesterol is bad for and can cause heart problems".  Yes, that is true, but TOO MUCH cholesterol is bad for you.  In fact, every cell in the human body is surrounded by cholesterol. Without cholesterol, our cells would "burst" and we would not be able to live.  In terms of LDL vs HDL, which one is good or bad depends on the society you live in.  In the United States, LDL is bad and HDL is good.  Well, if you were a starving child in a third world country, LDL could potentially save the child's life. LDL is the cholesterol that brings fats to the adipose tissues (stored fat) and HDL brings the fats away from the adipose tissues.  If you live in a country like the United States, you want more HDL than LDL. Our bodies naturally produces more HDL when we perform exercises.  When we exercise, our body uses the stored fat as energy.  As previously mentioned, HDL brings fats away from the adipose tissues.  To lower LDL, there many things you could do including exercising, eating more vegetables and fruit, limiting saturated fats, and consuming unsaturated fats.

How much?

Fats should take up about 10-35% of the total daily calories.