What is fat
Although fats are high in calories (9 calories per gram) and many people are trying to avoid it, they are an essential nutrient and 20-35% of your daily calorie intake should come from them. Fat can be consumed with the food you are eating or it can be stored form the unused energy from the other nutrients (proteins and carbs).
They also plays a vital role in promoting healthy cell function, maintaining healthy skin and hair, maintaining body temperature and protecting body organs from shock. There are some vitamins (vitamin E, D, A, K) that are fat soluble, which means that they need fat so they can be digested, absorbed and transported through the body.
There are good (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and bad fats (saturated and trans fats). The good ones protect your heart and brain and promote an overall health.
Fats can be found in: olives, nuts, sunflower oil, olive oil, avocados. The bad ones can increase the chance for heart disease and their intake should be limited. Saturated fats should take 10% from your calorie intake (7% is even better) and trans fats should be kept as low as possible (about 1%). They can be found in: pizza, doughnuts, fried foods, margarine, butter)
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