What are Saturated Fats?
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. They are unhealthy fats whose excessive consumption over a long period may harm health. Read this micro blog to learn more!
Fats are organic compounds that constitute carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.
Fats play vital roles in the human body, including lubricating joints, storing energy, insulation, and vitamin absorption. There are three types of fats.
· Saturated Fats
· Unsaturated Fats
· Trans Fats
Definition of Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are fats in which all the carbon molecules contain only a single bond. These fats are saturated with hydrogen molecules, meaning they have the greatest possible number of hydrogen molecules.
Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature.
Which foods are rich in Saturated Fats?
The following are the foods that are high in Saturated Fats.
1. Cheese
2. Butter
3. Milk
4. Ice cream
5. Pork
6. Beef
7. Lamb
8. Coconut oil
9. Cookies, chips, cake, pastries
10. Processed Meat
11. Palm oil
12. Fried foods
13. Poultry
What is the recommended amount of Saturated Fat?
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), daily saturated fat consumption should not increase 6% of the total calorie intake. If a person consumes 2000 calories daily, not more than 120 calories should come from saturated fats.
1 gm of fat contains 9 calories so daily saturated fat consumption should not exceed 13 gm.
Side effects of excess consumption of Saturated Fats
Excess saturated fat consumption may cause weight gain.
Overconsumption of saturated fats may increase LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in the blood, which can cause heart disease and stroke.