Nutritionist Estefanía Spessot Aguerreberry (MP 6320), currently dedicated to the elderly population, helps explain the importance of controlled incorporation of fats into the diet.
Fats are nutrients, along with carbohydrates and proteins, and They are essential for our diet. But there are some healthier than others.
“Fats are macronutrients that provide us with energy, 9 calories for every gram we consume, while carbohydrates and proteins provide us with 4 calories per gram. Clearly fats are the nutrients that have the highest caloric density, the main function is to provide energy,” introduces the nutritionist.
There is a classification of fats, and each of them has particular origins, characteristics and contributions. The types of fats will be classified according to the fatty acids that make them up: saturated, unsaturated and trans fats, which are what would cause problems.
“Saturated fats are mostly of animal origin, fats from meat, dairy products, cocoa butter, and coconut and palm oil. On the other hand, unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and are commonly known as oils: olive, sunflower, and corn oil. These are the ones that provide the most benefit to our body and have fatty acids that are essential nutrients, that is, the body cannot manufacture them and the only way to obtain them is by providing them with the diet,” explains the graduate.
Within unsaturated fats, there is another classification, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These are all healthy fats that help reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.
“The main function of monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc.) is to reduce the plasma level of bad cholesterol, which is LDL. Consuming this type of food causes the patient who has high cholesterol, and a higher proportion of high bad cholesterol, to lower their blood, which is why its incorporation is so positive,” says the nutritionist.
The bad fats of the movie
Within the first classification are the so-called hydrogenated fats, or trans fats. Their source is not natural, and they are the most harmful. Ultra-processed products have a high degree of this type of fat among their ingredients. Today the front labeling warns about this.
“Trans fats are obtained during hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is a chemical process that transforms a fat that is liquid at room temperature (oil) into a solid fat at the same temperature. The hydrogenation process of a vegetable oil would be to form margarine, for example. This hydrogenation process is the most dangerous at the level of the bonds. They are much more harmful to health than unsaturated fats, so they must be avoided,” warns Estefanía Spessot Aguerreberry.
“These trans fats increase bad cholesterol and decrease good cholesterol, unlike what the others generate, monounsaturated fats. They are present in ultra-processed products. I always tell patients, between butter and margarine, always prefer butter, in reality neither of the two in much quantity, but always choose butter because at least it does not have that hydrogenation process,” advises the graduate.
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