There is a lot of misinformation circulating about what is healthy and what is not. Fatty acids are a particularly important topic, as it does not matter what fats we bring into our bodies for the health of our hearts. So let's see what reality is!
Animal and vegetable fats and oils contain three different fatty acids:
1. Saturated fatty acids
They are mainly characteristic of animal fats (butter, lard) and coconut and palm kernel oil. They hide in large quantities in the form of so-called invisible fats in fatty meats, sausages, milk and dairy products, but also in pastries and chocolate. These fatty acids raise blood cholesterol levels, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Up to 10% of your daily energy intake can come from saturated fatty acids according to your dietary recommendations.
2. Trans fatty acids
Trans fatty acids are natural constituents of fats and oils found in dairy products and ruminant meat, but can also be formed during the hydrogenation of vegetable oils. Margarines on store shelves are no longer made by hydrogenation. Trans fatty acids should be avoided as they increase total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels and at the same time lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels in the blood.
3. Unsaturated fatty acids
Monounsaturated fatty acids:
the typical fatty acids in olive and rapeseed oil. Their cholesterol-lowering effect can be explained by the replacement of saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fatty acids, e.g. use vegetable oil instead of fat and margarine instead of butter. It is recommended to consume 10-15% of the energy intake in the form of monounsaturated fatty acids.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids:
found in higher amounts in vegetable oils such as sunflower, canola, soybean, flax, maize and fish. Their two most important groups are omega-6 (their main representative is linoleic acid) and omega-3 (mainly alpha-linolenic acid) fatty acids, the recommended ratio of which is 5: 1. These so-called essential fatty acids that our body cannot produce, so we can only get the amount we need through nutrition.
In summary, we can say that 30 percent of the daily energy intake must come from fats and fats according to dietary regulations.
So the rule is simple!
Saturated fats need to be reduced in our diet, as they are consumed in certain amounts with meat and dairy products anyway, and the role of unsaturated fats in our diet needs to be increased. Consumption of trans fats must be reduced to less than 1% of total energy intake! Unsaturated fats are called “good” fats, and of its two subtypes, the consumption of polyunsaturated fats is essential because our body cannot produce them. For this reason, these (omega-3 and omega-6) are also called essential fats. “Good” fats are found primarily in oilseeds, fish oil, vegetable oils, and products made from them, such as high-quality margarines, so two-thirds of our fat consumption should come from these.
The amount of “bad” fats, i.e. saturated fats and trans fats, should be kept to a minimum, one third of total fat intake. Saturated fats are typically found in foods of animal origin and tropical vegetable fats. Particular care should be taken to avoid trans fats, which occur in their natural form in relatively large quantities in ruminant meat, milk and products made with industrially partially hydrogenated oils.