The nutrient we will be discussing today is fat, also known as lipids. They are also composed of oxygen carbon and hydrogen. Fats have the highest calorie density in food; one gram of fat supplies 9.3 calories of energy. They are the carriers of fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).
It is important to note that not all fats are bad; saturated fats (mainly animal fat) should be consumed less than unsaturated fats (mainly plant sources). Foods rich in saturated fats such as beef, milk, cheese, coconut oil and palm oil, have shown to cause increase in the blood cholesterol levels. While unsaturated fats appear to lower blood cholesterol.
Cholesterol is not completely bad like some will imagine, they play important roles in our body. We will look at them more closely some other time.
As usual, excess amounts of fat are stored when not in use. While this might be advantageous in cushioning the organs of the body, it can result in obesity and other non-communicable diseases.
So, reduce your intake of beef, poultry and when you do, trim all the fat you can see; eat your poultry without the skin. Better still, eat more of fish.
