There are 3 Main Categories of Fats

There Are 3 Main Categories Of Fats And You Need To Know What They Are

When you understand which fats and oils fall into which category, you begin to understand why this food group is so important. The terms fat, or oil, can be used interchangeably.

Saturated means mostly solid at room temperature

Saturated fats are the first group. There are two kinds of saturated fats, plant forms of saturated fat and animal forms of saturated fats.

Animal forms of saturated fats contain short chain triglycerides (SCT’s). All meat, and the products that are made from animals, such as dairy products contain saturated fats.

Plant forms of saturated fats contain medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s). Tropical fats, such as coconut, palm, palm kernel, cocoa and shea nut contain saturated fats, and these plant saturated fats seem to be more beneficial for health than the animal products.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, and contain large amounts of fatty acids. Saturated fats are the most stable of all the groups, or types of fat, which means that they are best to cook with. They are less prone to oxidation and less sensitive to heat.

However, too many of the animal forms of saturated fats can raise blood cholesterol, so they should be used sparingly. These oils are not essential for your body or brain, and you should therefore limit their use. Furthermore, high saturated fat diets have also been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, as well as other degenerative diseases.

Monounsaturated means mostly Mediterranean in origin

Monounsaturated oils are the second group, and are traditionally associated with the Mediterranean countries, as many of them originated from there. They contain a fatty acid called oleic acid (also called Omega 9). They stay liquid at room temperature, but will get slightly thicker when refrigerated. These oils are avocado, almond, hazelnut, olive, peanut and pistachio.

They have a neutral effect on blood cholesterol, although too much can raise triglycerides. The exception is olive oil, which lowers it, probably due to some active components in the olive oil. These oils are healthy to use, if they are cold-pressed and the olive oils you use are also extra-virgin. But don’t heat them regularly, as they become damaged when exposed to high temperatures.

Polyunsaturated means precious

The next group, polyunsaturated oils, is different to the first two groups. These oils are essential for your health, and are called essential because the body cannot manufacture them, unlike the other two groups, saturated and monounsaturated fats. These specialized fatty acids therefore have to be obtained through your diet. They are present in various seeds and nuts. They don’t like heat, light or oxygen, so never heat them. Unfortunately, most of the polyunsaturated oils sold today, like the ones you find in the ‘golden oil aisles’ of the supermarket, are damaged through cost-effective, thoughtless processing.

A further classification within this ‘precious’ group

This group of oils can be further divided into Omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and super-unsaturated fatty acids, also called Omega 3 oils. Both these Omega polyunsaturated oils are unique, in that they both contain Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s). (The discovery of the essential nature of both the Omega 3 and 6 oils, in 1929 was an important event, although researchers thought they were only of marginal importance at that point.

Later, in the 1960’s they discovered that serious symptoms of deficiency arose when these unique oils were not consumed in the diet). These oils are liquid at room temperature, and remain so, even when refrigerated or frozen.

Omega 3 Super-unsaturated fatty acids (SUFA’s) –These oils include flax seeds, and although pumpkin, walnuts, soya, and hemp seeds also contain some of these Omega 3 fatty acids, they have more of the PUFA’s, so are classified in that area. They are five times more sensitive to damage through light, oxygen and heat than the Omega 6’s. And the derivatives of this essential fatty acid, DHA and EPA, are 25 times more sensitive to damage than the Omega 6’s.

Omega 6 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s) – These oils are called Omega 6 oils and safflower seed, sunflower seeds, soya beans, pumpkin and walnut seeds contain them. They are also sensitive to light, heat and oxygen, but not as much as the Omega 3’s.

These ‘precious’ oils are also essential

Remember that these polyunsaturated fatty acids, Essential Fatty Acids, or EFA’s, have to be provided by your diet. This is because your body can’t make them, whereas your body can make both saturated and monounsaturated fats from carbohydrates.

It is estimated that 95% of people are deficient in them, as our food supply no longer supplies them. So, the chances are very high that you are one of those 95%. And it’s very hard to find them in your normal diet, as farmers don’t like to grow Omega 3’s, and the majority of the Omega 6’s that are in processed foods today, are damaged, due to high temperatures, light and oxygen, that they come into contact with, during the processing of these oils.

The EFA blend we propose provides the right ratio of these oils, in an undamaged form, with added nutrients to enhance the benefits of this unique blend.

References

Human requirement for N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Simopoulos AP. Poult Sci. 2000 Jul;79(7):961-70.

Importance of n-3 fatty acids in health and disease. Connor WE. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jan;71(1 Suppl):171S-5S

Barilla, J. The Good Fats And Oils. Keats Publishing: New Canaan, CT, 1996.

Vital Oils. Earle, Liz. Vermilion, imprint of Ebury Press, UK. 1992.

Fats that heal, fats that kill. Erasmus, U. Dr. Alive Books. Burnaby BC, Canada. 1993.

Add to favorites

View your Favorites