Vegetable fats are not always healthier than animal fats & bull; hello healthy

Many say that don't eat this or don't eat that, because it's fatty. It is true we have to limit fat in the body, but do we have to get rid of all the fat in our diet?

Of course not, actually just like other macro nutrients, protein and carbohydrates, fat is also needed by the body to perform various functions. Fat plays a role in helping the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, namely A, D, E, K which are usually stored in the liver. In addition, fat also has a role to replace carbohydrates as a source of energy when carbohydrates run out. Various hormone formation also depends on the level of fat in the body. Therefore, it doesn't matter if we eat fatty foods. However, it must be considered the amount and type of fat consumed.

Based on the source, fat is divided into two groups, namely vegetable fat derived from plants and animal fat derived from animals. These two types have different kinds and compositions of fat. So, which is better between vegetable fats and animal fats?

What is contained in animal fat?

Here are the types of fat produced from animal food sources:

Saturated fat

Saturated fats are found in beef, mutton, chicken with skin, margarine, cheese, and various other dairy products. If you consume too much food that contains saturated fat, this will increase the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad fats. These bad fats cause blockages in blood vessels which, if they occur continuously, result in various degenerative diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and so on. The American Heart Association recommends consuming a maximum of 6% saturated fat of total calories in a day.

Trans fat

Trans fats are contained in several food sources in fairly small amounts, but trans fats are actually produced when doing the cooking process, such as frying or heating margarine. Just like saturated fat, excess trans fat increases LDL or bad fat levels and decreases HDL or good fat levels in the body. This can lead to various diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

Omega-3 fatty acids

One more type of fat produced from animal food sources is omega 3 fatty acids. Unlike trans fats and saturated fats, omega-3s are very beneficial for health, which play a role in improving cognitive abilities, maintaining the health of the nervous system, and reducing levels of bad fats in blood. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in salmon, tuna and halibut. Therefore, it is recommended to consume these fish 2 times a week so that the balance of fat in the body is maintained.

What is contained in vegetable fats?

The following are the types of fat found in plant-based food sources:

Saturated fat in plant-based food sources

Vegetable source foods also produce several types of fat, in the form of oil. Some plant-based oils also contain a lot of saturated fat, such as palm oil. And, if you consume too much of this oil, the effect will be the same as eating protein source foods that contain saturated fat, which causes various heart diseases.

Mono and polyunsaturated fats

Although there are several types of plant-based food sources that produce saturated fats, most plant-based oils contain unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, corn oil, almond oil, and sunflower seed oil. There are two types of unsaturated fats, namely monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Both unsaturated fats are beneficial for maintaining heart health and preventing the accumulation of fat in blood vessels because it increases levels of good fats in the body.

So, animal fat or vegetable fat is healthier?

Actually, whether a fat is good or not depends on the type of fat itself, not based on the origin of the fat. Although it is true that the type of fat that is good for the body is contained more in vegetable food sources than animal food, still some vegetable food sources contain fats that are not good for the body, namely saturated fat and trans fat. So, what you need to choose as a good source of fat is foods that contain unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids and avoid foods that contain high saturated fats.

The American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee provides recommendations for eating foods that contain fat, which are as follows:

Consume about 25 to 35 percent of the total calories in a day from fish, olive oil, corn oil, and nuts.
Limit the amount of saturated fat to a maximum of 6% of total calories in a day. If in one day you have to consume 2000 calories, then foods that contain saturated fat should not be consumed more than 16 grams.
Limit trans fats to only 1% a day and if your calorie needs in a day are 2000 calories, then you should not consume more than 2 grams of trans fat.
Increase consumption of monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega 3 fatty acids.