It turns out that fats are also necessary
Many people believe that they eat fatty foods for only one purpose - to gain weight. And therefore, overweight people try in every possible way to avoid fatty foods. In vain. After all, fats, as well as proteins and carbohydrates, are very necessary sources of nutrition for the body. You just need to know that fats are “good”, light, and “bad”, heavy. Light fats should be consumed even by those who want to lose weight.
The usefulness of fats lies in the fact that they are part of cell membranes and many biologically active substances. This alone is enough to understand the importance of fats and respectfully take off your hat to them. In addition, fats are also a valuable energy source. It was already mentioned earlier that when only 1 gram of fat is burned, 9 kilocalories are released. Whereas 1 gram of carbohydrate, as we know, contains only 4 kilocalories. The difference, as you can see, is significant. Therefore, for a person to grow and develop normally, fats must make up 30% of the daily calorie intake.
However, fats are different from fats. “Good”, light fats include fats of vegetable origin. Vegetable oil is the main source of “good” fats. In addition to its energy value, it is also good because it contains tocopherols. Tocopherols are substances with a pronounced antioxidant effect, which improve metabolic processes and slow down the aging process. It should be noted that unrefined, that is, unrefined, vegetable oil does not lose its wonderful properties even during frying.
Animal fats, especially pork, beef, and lamb, consist mainly of refractory, “bad” fats. They are difficult to digest by the body, oxidize poorly, and contribute to the development of ketoacidosis. In addition, animal fats are the main source of cholesterol, which is known to contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. True, poultry fat contains slightly more “good” fats (except for duck and goose). Therefore, they are healthier than, for example, beef or pork fat, and are better absorbed.
Egg yolks also contain fat. It would be “invaluable” if, along with all the useful substances, it did not contain a large amount of cholesterol. It is for this reason that patients with diabetes are allowed eggs in limited quantities: no more than 2-3 pieces per week.
Animal fats also include milk fat contained in butter. It contains many biologically active substances that are important for the body and have a beneficial effect on liver function.
I would like to say a few kind words about fish oil. At one time, more than one generation of children was raised on it. Of course, it does not have a pleasant taste, like any other fat, but its usefulness is undeniable. Fish oil is rich in "good" fats and important fat-soluble vitamins "A", "D" and "E".
We hope that after reading these brief characteristics of the most common fats, you, the reader, have already understood that it is better for any person, especially those with diabetes, to eat vegetable and dairy fats. Compliance with medical recommendations becomes especially important when there are high levels of lipids and cholesterol in the blood.
Speaking about fats, it should be noted that the need for them varies among people of different ages. And if young people can and should eat animal fats in small quantities, then it is better for older people to give preference to vegetable fats.
Now let's move on to the practical part and try to calculate what the daily requirement for fat is for a man 180 cm tall, weighing 80 kg, engaged in moderately heavy work (the calculation for women is made in the same way). Let us remember that his daily energy requirement is 2400 kilocalories. 1200 of them are carbohydrates, 480 are proteins. Thus, fats account for 30% of 2400. This is 720 kilocalories. When 1 gram of fat is burned, 9 kilocalories of energy are released. 720: 9 = 80 grams.
Therefore, with