Choosing healthy fats

By Cherice Bronte-Tinkew, RD

Is fat necessary for one’s diet? Should you avoid all types of fats to lose weight or be healthy?

Firstly, one of the six Caribbean Food Groups is called the Fats and Oils group. Fat is a nutrient which provides us with energy, it protects our organs by providing insultation, it is needed for creating skin cells, it helps with the absorption of vitamins and creating hormones in our body.

Fat is necessary for one’s diet.

Examples of fats include cooking oils such as soybean oil, olive oil and coconut oil. These are liquid at room temperature. There are other types of fats such as butter, margarine, lard, avocado, and ghee. They are solid at room temperature. There is, however, the danger of too much fat in one’s diet.

On average you can get 45 calories from a teaspoon of oil or butter or margarine. So, you can imagine if a meal is deep fried or requires additional butter and cream in the recipe, how many calories are eaten.

Some high calorie foods include fried chicken or creamy alfredo pasta. It’s important to have smaller amounts of fat when preparing a meal or choosing while dining out.

Cooking methods such as baking, roasting, grilling, steaming and light sautéing uses smaller amounts of fats compared to deep frying or simmering foods using rich creamy or buttery sauces. There are also devices such as air-fryers or mini convection ovens which can produce crispy layers while using smaller amounts of fat.

The choice of fats is important too. There are fats which provide additional benefits to one’s health. Olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, avocado and avocado oil are less saturated. They contain healthy types of fats such as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. They are better for reducing cholesterol and risk of heart diseases.

Coconut oil, coconut milk, and butter contain saturated fats. When consumed in large amounts, saturated fats can increase cholesterol in your blood vessels. This increases the risk of heart diseases.

Other foods also contain fats such as animal products like milk, cheese, chicken, beef and fish. Plant-based foods such as nuts and seeds contain fats, too.  Cholesterol is only found in animal products and when consumed in large quantities, can increase the risk of heart diseases. Nuts and seeds contain monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats and provide the similar benefits as discussed before. Fish is also a great source of polyunsaturated fats.

So, if you want to reduce your chances of heart disease, stroke and reduce your weight, choose more plant-based fats and oils. Fish is another great option for persons who eat it.

Choose cooking methods which use small amounts and change recipes to use low fat options instead such as low fat milk or low fat yogurt.

Cherice Bronte-Tinkew has been a registered dietitian for over nine years. She is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians.

For more information: Facebook and Instagram pages @JustCherNutrition.

Email- justchernutri@gmail.com

References: Davis, M., MPH, RDN (2020) Eat your vitamins, your guide to using natural foods to get the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body needs.