You know there are good fats and bad fats, but how did it work again? Which fatty acids are good and how much can you have in a day? Below we explain in detail what saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are, what essential fatty acids are and how to get the right balance!
What are fatty acids?
A fatty acid is a long chain of hydrocarbon compounds. Your body needs fatty acids, every day. It uses these fatty acids as building blocks for cells, hormones and bile, for absorbing vitamins from food, to protect you from the cold and to convert into energy.
You find fatty acids in food. Fatty acids in food are always a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. But your body does not need an excess of fatty acids either.
These raise your cholesterol. That is not good for your heart and blood vessels. Unsaturated fatty acids, on the other hand, ensure better removal of cholesterol. Moreover, you have a greater chance of becoming overweight if you consume too many fatty acids and also exercise too little.
Essential fatty acids: which fatty acids are good?
Unsaturated fatty acids are good. The fewer saturated fatty acids from red meat and butter you consume, the better.
Therefore, replace saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fatty acids as much as possible. On the other hand, recent research shows that saturated fat from yoghurt, cheese and fish is actually beneficial for the heart.
Among unsaturated fatty acids, a further distinction is made between monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids lower cholesterol more than monounsaturated fatty acids.
Omega 9 fatty acids are monounsaturated fatty acids, which you find in olive oil, for example. Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids. Omega 6 fatty acids are found in sunflower oil and cooking and frying fats, among others. Omega 3 fatty acids are found mainly in nuts, avocado, flaxseed, seaweed and oily fish. All these fatty acids are essential fatty acids.
This means your body needs them for good health, but cannot produce them itself. That is why it is important to eat a varied diet so that you get all fatty acids in balance.
What are saturated fatty acids and why are unsaturated fatty acids better for your body?
Unsaturated fatty acids are the 'healthy' or good fatty acids that provide the essential fatty acids.
Because it is difficult to say which fatty acid belongs to the healthy fatty acids and which fatty acid does not belong to the good fatty acids, it is easier to give advice about fatty acids in food.
The advice is to eat fish once a week, preferably oily fish. Fish fatty acids have a beneficial influence on the heart. They contribute to the normal function of the heart. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 250 mg of the fish fatty acids EPA and DHA.
Fatty acids in food: how much saturated fat can you have per day?
Saturated fatty acids are found mainly in animal products, such as butter, full-fat dairy products and cheese, fatty cold cuts, snacks, biscuits, chocolate and pastries. Unsaturated fatty acids are found in, for example, plant-based oil, liquid margarine, nuts and seeds, avocado and oily fish.
Above, you already read why saturated fatty acids are less good for your body. The maximum amount of (saturated) fatty acids you can consume per day differs per fatty acid and per person. In a day, about 20-40% of the calories you consume should come from fat.
The advice is to get no more than 10% of your daily energy from saturated fat. For an adult woman who eats 2,000 kcal per day, this means, for example, a maximum of 20 grams of saturated fat per day. As an example: a croissant contains 4.4 grams of saturated fat and a slice of 48+ cheese 5.9 grams.
How is your fatty acid balance?
In the Netherlands, many people eat too much saturated fat and too few unsaturated fatty acids. The saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are out of balance. It would be nice if you could do a fatty acid test to know how your fatty acid balance is doing.
Do you already know that you, for example, do not eat oily fish once a week? Then consider adding a supplement to your daily routine.
At Arctic Blue you will find a wide range of products with omega 3, specially designed to replenish the good, healthy fatty acids in your body. Browse our range online at your leisure.
