Saturated and Unsaturated Fats in our Diets
The lipids or fats in our bodies are
different in one major way, if they are saturated or unsaturated. To be
saturated is for the fatty acids to be alkane in that the carbon atoms only
bond once per molecule. To be unsaturated is for the fatty acid to be an alkene
and for the carbon atom to be double bonded to other molecules. This slight
difference in chemical composition makes all the difference in larger scale
structure. The saturated fats because of the singular bonding are able to stack
against each other linearly and thus are SOLIDS at room temperature.
Unsaturated fats are not linear because of the double bonds in the triglyceride
structure of the lipid and ultimately arrange themselves in disarray; this
makes unsaturated fats LIQUIDS at room temperature.
This video
goes in depth on saturated fats.
This page
goes into more depth about fats
http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/nutrition/everything-you-need-to-know-about-unsaturated-fats.html
The Mediterranean Diet is arguably one of the healthiest
diets out there. It features almost exclusively unsaturated fats. It limits the
consumption of red meats such as beef to several times a month and also
incorporates fish as a more major dietary supplement to this lack of red meat.
This diet features an array of herbs and spices which are quite tasty
themselves to replace salt. Olive Oil is another addition to this cuisine that
makes it tasty and yet also healthy because as previously stated natural oils
are unsaturated and don’t clog up arteries. This diet comes from the things
available to Mediterranean countries such as Greece and southern Italy and yet
it is so healthy. The underlying theme with this diet is the moderation of the
saturated fats in these meats by taking in other unsaturated fats in
vegetables. Through following this diet the country of Greece has a
significantly smaller population of people with heart disease.
For easy Mediterranean recipes follow the Link! http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/superfast-mediterranean-dishes-20-minutes-or-less-00400000042111/
I think you did a good job on your blog N.K. Questions: Why do you think the Mediterranean diet is mostly of unsaturated fats? Is it something ethical? And, why do you think most foreign countries have better diets than America's because we are all humans, so why does it differ like that? Is it that they have certain deficiencies that we don't have, is it taste buds, is it the way foods effect the people? Also what are some disorders or diseases you can get from eating too much unsaturated fats and too much saturated fats? I know you listed some, but is there more? I totally agree with you on that people should have both saturated and unsaturated fats in their diets. Everything in moderation like you said. It is sort of sad that some people don't realize it, and some people just eat saturated fats and then there are some people that mostly just eat unsaturated fats. I wish people would understand that you have to have a little bit of both to have a normal/healthy diet/tone.
ReplyDeleteto answer your question, hailey, i think its because maybe they have easier access to unsturated fatty acids rather than saturated fatty acids. and nicolas, i found it interesting that dark chocolate is a saturated fat. i though it would be a carbohydrate due to the fact that its like pure sugar. maybe they say a little dark chocolate a day keeps the doctor away because dark chocolate is that little bit of saturated fatty acids that we need in our diets.
ReplyDeletethanks Nabilah!
ReplyDeleteNice work on your blog! I like how you stated that both saturated and unsaturated fats are necessary and not one is more important than the other when consuming them. People simply have to take them with moderation and balance their diets. About dark chocolate, I as well ,as Nabilah, was surprised about it being saturated instead of a carbohydrate. I also like the article on Mediterranean recipes and will look into them.
ReplyDeleteI liked your blog as well. My blog focal pointed on fats and lipids as well. I talked more about HDL and LDL (High and Low-Density Lipoprotein). But I did notice that your video that you included did mention that. I liked the video you included because it broke it down into smaller steps. It broke this topic down for beginners, which is really helpful for those who are unfamiliar with this topic. Anyways, I did notice you published this on October 28th, and I was wondering if your class was done with the lab that we did in class regarding the different levels of saturated and unsaturated fats. (The one where we put Iodine solutions in the oils labeled A-E and waited for them to return back to their normal color). If you did complete that lab, you should of included that, because that goes hand in hand with this topic. But it's still a very good blog, and I'm very impressed.
ReplyDelete