The body receives energy from three sources: fats, carbohydrates, and protein; each of these energy sources is important to ensure proper nutrition. Contrary from popular "fad" diets that introduces these aspects as "bad", fats and carbohydrates are actually good for you and part of a healthy diet. Not all fat is bad for you, just as not all fat is good for you; understanding the differences in these concepts can help an individual choose healthy food options and ensure that the proper amount of healthy fat is consumed in their daily dietary intake.
How fat is used by the body
Fat is the body's primary storage form of energy and provides the greatest amount of energy that is needed to perform much of the body's work, especially muscular work (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). The reason why the body utilizes fat as the primary form of storage is because gram for gram, "fats provide more than twice the energy of carbohydrates" because fats can "pack tightly together without water and can store much more energy in a small space" (Sizer & Whitney, p. 151). The body fat that is found on a normal-weight person can provide sustainable energy throughout a marathon or help battle a disease if the person should become ill. The body also uses fat to cushion vital organs within the body, and fat under the skin provides insulation from extreme changes in temperature (Sizer & Whitney, 2012).Good fat versus bad fat
The saturation of fat determines if the fat is good or bad for you. Saturation "refers to whether or not a fatty acid chain is holding all of the hydrogen atoms it can hold"; if every "available bond from the carbons is holding a hydrogen. the chain forms a saturated fatty acid" (Sizer & Whitney, 2012, p. 153). If the fatty acid chain has "a place where hydrogens are missing" or in other words an "empty spot" the chain is considered to have a point of unsaturation (Sizer & Whitney, 2012, p. 153). If the chain has one point of unsaturation, the fatty acid is considered a monounsaturated fatty acid; if the chain has two or more points of unsaturation it is considered a polyunsaturated fatty acid (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). By rule of thumb, saturated fats are bad for a person and consumption of these should be limited, and unsaturated fats are good for a person and consumption of these should be within the daily allowances.The degree of saturation of a fatty acid affects the temperature in which the fat melts; the more unsaturated the fatty acid, the more liquid the fat is at room temperature (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). On the other hand, the more saturated the fatty acid, the firmer the fat at room temperature. This knowledge can help an individual recognize good fats and bad fats; for example, butter, shortening, and beef fat is all solid at room temperature because these fats are all saturated. However, many vegetables oils (such as olive and canola oil) and fish fats are liquid at room temperature because of their unsaturated qualities (Sizer & Whitney, 2012).
Individuals should avoid consuming Trans-fatty acids completely. Trans-fatty acids are primarily found in processed foods where the fatty acids are altered through a process called hydrogenation (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). Hydrogenation of fats "makes them stay fresher longer" but it also "changes their physical properties" (Sizer & Whitney, 2012, p. 171). Trans-fatty acid pose a great risk to the heart by raising bad cholesterol and increasing inflammation, which is a key component to the development of heart disease (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). Trans-fat is found in fast foods, chips, cookies, crackers, cake products and frostings, breads, stick margarines, commercial fried chicken and fish, and other commercially prepared foods (Sizer & Whitney, 2012).
Because of the health risks associated with trans-fat, many cities have set limits to the amount of trans fat allowed in restaurant meals (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). In "Trans Fat Bans and Human Freedom" by David Resnik, the author explores "the recent spate of statutes and ordinances banning the use of trans fat in restaurant and take-out foods" (DeVille, 2010). The ban of these trans fats may not have a negative affect on individual liberty, but the generality of such a ban imposes serious questions that may create a slippery slope for nutritional cases for future generations (DeVille, 2010). A possible solve to such a predicament is explored in changing the attitudes of dietary guidelines, even though the existence of this field is newly established and relatively new (DeVille, 2010. Perhaps the answer to protecting and establishing health guidelines should be less concerned with specific measures and the prevention of heart disease, but instead, focus on "the social, behavioral, environmental, and economic determinants of population-wide health, including a recognition of the human and economic impact of chronic illness and disability" (DeVille, 2010). This "new frontier of public health law" focus on the general education of nutrition, and provides the "why" behind nutritional guidelines and the hopes of changing the perceived attitude of an entire population on nutrition (DeVille, 2010).
References:
DeVille, K. (2010). Trans fat bans and the dynamic of public health regulation. American Journal Of Bioethics, 10(3), 46-49. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1080/15265160903581874
Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2012). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, MyPlate Update (12th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
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