Fats - An essential nutrient. Are you serious?

Fats in our foods - sounds scary! When we think fat our mind imagines obesity...

But actually Fats are important for us. Yes, it is true! 

Children especially, need a certain amount of fat in their diets so that the nervous system develops correctly. That's why babies and toddlers need to drink whole milk, which has more fat, and older kids can drink low-fat or skim milk. Experts say kids older than two years should get about 30% of their daily calories from fat. So, if you have a 2000 calorie diet, you should have get about 600 calories from fats.

Wondering why?

• Fats give our body energy that it needs to work properly. Did you know that during exercise, our bodies use calories from carbohydrates? But after 20 minutes, the body needs calories from fat to keep on going. 
• Don't we all like a healthy skin and beautiful hair? Fat is necessary to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K - also known as fat-soluble vitamins. 
• Fat fills our fat cells and insulates our body and helps us stay warm during cold weather.
• Essential fatty acids - linoleum and linolenic acid, found in foods, are important for brain development, controlling inflammation, and blood clotting.

So what is the connection between calories and fat?

Calories are just a measure of energy and found in every item of food we eat.

Fats contain 9 calories per gram - more than twice the number of calories in a gram of carbohydrates or protein.

Where do we get the needed fats?

Fats can be found in many foods. Fruits and vegetables have almost no fat, while foods such as nuts, oils, butter and meats contain a lot of fat. Nuts and some oils like olive oil have good fats that our bodies need to stay healthy.

And what is interesting is that fats could be trans fats, saturated or unsaturated. Some of these fats are good while others are bad. Sounds confusing? I will have more in my next blog on what is good and how to find them.

Meanwhile, Happy eating!