"> The difference between saturated and unsaturated fat

The difference between saturated and unsaturated fat

Fat, (un) healthy eating and losing weight are inseparable. This fat has a particularly bad reputation. But is that right?

High time to take a good examine the issue of ‘fat’.

In this article we look at what exactly is fat. Also, we will focus on the difference between saturated and unsaturated fat and look which fats are healthy and which are not.

What is fat?

Let’s start with a general explanation of fat. What is it and what does our body do?

The human body is composed of as many as 100,000 billion cells can be divided into 200 species. For example, cells that form our protective skin, eye cells that enable us to see that we move muscle cells and brains all thought processes.

To make cells and let them do what they need to do, our body needs two things: building materials and fuels.

Materials are necessary because the cells are regularly updated in our body. And to do all the cells what to do requires fuel.

So to make muscle movement needed fuel. For all our thought processes needed fuel. Even while sleeping, your body needs fuel.

Fat is both a very important building block as well as a good fuel for our body. Moreover, grease a transport for vitamins A, D and E, and it acts as insulation to keep warm.

So we need fat to function properly. But like carbohydrates must be the right fats and the right amount.

Some fats are extremely healthy, such as omega-3 . Others are very unhealthy and can in a systematic overdose even death, as trans fats.

The difference between healthy and unhealthy fats better understand, I explain below, the difference between the two main types: saturated and unsaturated fat.

Saturated and unsaturated fats in our diet

All fats in our diet are a combination of saturated and unsaturated fats. But one of these two fats is always in the majority.

In meat and dairy products such as milk, cheese and butter fat is saturated in the majority. There are also a few plant sources of saturated fat such as coconut oil and palm oil.

Unsaturated fat is mainly found in plant sources such as nuts, seeds and avocados and vegetable oils such as sunflower oil, olive oil or liquid frying products. The fats in fish consist mainly of unsaturated fats.

With the naked eye you can notice a big difference between these two types of fat. Saturated fats have a solid at room temperature, namely, solidified form. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.

The real difference between saturated and unsaturated fat

Explaining the real differences between saturated and unsaturated fat cost a little more words. These are slightly more complicated.

To start you need to see these differences, fat hundreds of times magnification. This can be done with a microscope. Only then you can see the smallest particles from which something is made. These particles called atoms.

Fats are made up of two elements: glycerol and fatty acids. Fatty acids are again composed of carbon atoms (C) and hydrogen atoms (H).

These two atoms may attach themselves to one another. Here, the carbon atom is the binding factor. Say the leader.

The carbon atom is the leader because this atom is connected sites. And that places other atoms combine with the carbon atom.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids

Now that we know this, we go one step further. Unsaturated fats are in fact be divided into mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

When unsaturated fats, the carbon atom to connection sites on because other atoms that are not associated with. In order that spot-to-use yet, carbon atoms can also link up with each other.

As the carbon atoms located at one place to connect with each other are the mono-unsaturated fatty acids. As the carbon atoms to link multiple spots are the polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat in our diet

Like saturated and unsaturated fat also have monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids different properties in our diet.

Olive oil, peanuts, peanut oil and fats in fruits like avocados are sources of monounsaturated fatty acids.

Examples of polyunsaturated fats are sunflower oil, soybean oil, nut, and fish oil.

The biggest difference is that monounsaturated fatty acids are stronger than polyunsaturated fatty acids. You better keep them and they can do better against certain external influences, such as oxygen and heat.

Polyunsaturated fats are sensitive to exposure to oxygen and heat. Oxygen and heat speed up oxidize fatty acids. Oxidized fats are really bad and that is not good for health.

Which fats are healthy?

Many people think that saturated fat is not healthy unsaturated fat is healthy. That is not entirely true. Except trans fats you need any kind of fat.

Saturated fat was believed for years that it is unhealthy. This grease would be directly responsible for an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

That assumption originated about 50 years ago, but then never properly investigated. Yet food manufacturers, governments and the media information accepted as true. So it could happen that we are informed long wrong.

All kinds of new studies indicate that the link is incorrect. [1] In fact, saturated fat is a very good building and fuel.

Unsaturated fats are themselves also very good construction and fuel for our body. These fats have a positive impact on our cholesterol reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

It is with unsaturated fats is important to pay close attention to the difference between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats are very fragile and less suitable for heating.

Also, try to avoid as much as possible, unsaturated oils manufactured industrially. Examples of these oils are soybean oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil (except for high oleic), and sesame oil.

These oils are so processed in the factory that they are far removed from the form as found in nature.

Additional healthy essential fats

There is one group of polyunsaturated fats that I’d still like to highlight here. That’s because the essential fats, such as  omega-3  contained in fish oil.

This group of fats called essential fatty acids because our body needs but can not produce itself. We must thus take in through our diet.

Leave a Comment