Fats with Holistic Nutrition

The lack of culture regarding nutrition issues has led many people to adopt a hostile stance towards anything containing fat, treating it as a forbidden component that we try to avoid at all costs.

It is crucial to understand the role that fats play in our diet, to demystify important questions about their behavior and their interrelationship with other nutrients and macronutrients. Within a holistic nutrition concept, we must integrate and make the most of each element that is part of our meals.

Next, we will analyze in detail how we should work on the consumption of fats in a healthy way, what types of fats we should avoid and which ones we should include in our diet.

What are fats?

Fats are a nutrient present in many of the foods we eat. They are organic substances classified as lipids and are essential in the production of nerve tissue. They play a crucial role in the production of energy for the body, so their consumption is necessary to maintain our health.

Importance of fats

As mentioned above, fats are essential for energy production in our body. While the consumption of carbohydrates provides useful energy, once they are depleted, fats act as a reserve to allow the body to function normally in its daily activities.

Another important function of fats is their role in facilitating the absorption of vitamins. By consuming fats, our body can more easily acquire vitamins from food, reducing the amount of vitamins needed to meet the body's minimum requirements.

In addition, fats provide us with access to essential fatty acids, such as linoleic acid, which our body cannot produce on its own and is vital for the optimal functioning of many bodily functions.

Types of fats

There are several types of fats with notable differences between them. By their main characteristics, they are usually classified into saturated, trans, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Saturated fats are among the most harmful to our organism. They are responsible for increasing cholesterol, which can affect the cardiovascular system as a whole. They are found in various products of animal origin and some of vegetable origin.

Trans fats are particularly harmful. Like saturated fats, they considerably increase cholesterol levels in the body, leading to various cardiovascular diseases. Precooked foods and industrial sweets are the main sources of this type of fat. Their consumption is extremely harmful and should be avoided even in small amounts.

Monounsaturated fats come from oils such as olive oil and some nuts such as hazelnuts. Contrary to the previous ones, these fats are very beneficial for our health. They function as a protector of the cardiovascular system and help reverse many of the negative effects of consuming trans or saturated fats.

Polyunsaturated fats are commonly found in vegetable oils such as sunflower or soybean oil, as well as in various fish such as salmon. Their consumption is associated with improved arterial health and reduced cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease. Like monounsaturated fats, its inclusion in a balanced diet is recommended.