One gram of fat has nine calories. Is therefore our most important source of energy. Carbohydrates and proteins each provide only four calories per gram. Protect our organs
Fat provides a protective covering for our internal organs from heat and cold, as well as from external injuries such as bumps, knocks or kicks. Satiety
Fat is a satiator. With the right fats, you can even lose weight because they send satiety signals to your brain. You feel full faster. Eats less as a result. This is why you should not give up healthy fats if you want to lose weight. Taste
Fat is a natural flavor carrier. Many flavors are fat-soluble and become more intense or perceptible only through the addition of some fat. Better absorption of vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) need fats so that your body can utilize them. If you eat foods that contain fat-soluble vitamins together with healthy fats, your body will be able to use them better. Otherwise you will excrete most of these valuable vitamins unused. This can lead to vitamin deficiency. How to support memory and concentration
Healthy fats help you concentrate better and keep your memory sharp as you get older. Protection against diseases
Many diseases are favored if you avoid fats in your diet. These include cardiovascular diseases, migraine, inflammatory rheumatic diseases, neurodermatitis, gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes, and many more.
How much fat a day is healthy?
The German Society for Nutrition e. V., (DGE) recommends that adults get about 30 percent of their daily calorie needs from healthy fats.
With a calorie requirement of 2000 calories per day, you should be able to ca. Cover 600 calories with fats in your diet. At 9.3 calories per gram of fat, you can get approx. Eat 65 g of fat daily. You can calculate your personal calorie requirements with our Calorie Calculator quickly and easily.
Not all fats are the same: what types of fat are there??
For a healthy nutrition not the fat quantity is crucial, but it depends completely particularly on the quality of the fats.
Fats always consist of the alcohol glycerol and three fatty acids. The fatty acids linked to the glycerol molecule are made up of chains of carbon atoms. These chains are of different lengths, which is why they are called short-chain, medium-chain and long-chain fatty acids. Hydrogen atoms are connected to the carbon atoms. If all possible compounds are occupied, it is a saturated fatty acid. If a compound remains unoccupied, an unsaturated fatty acid is formed. If even several compounds are not occupied, a polyunsaturated fatty acid is formed.
These three fatty acids are:
– unsaturated fatty acids – saturated fatty acids – trans fats
Unsaturated fatty acids: monounsaturated fatty acids
They belong to the healthy fats. Monosaturated fatty acids have a positive effect on LDL cholesterol (the bad or evil cholesterol) and thus also on the cardiovascular system. They also help your body absorb. The utilization of fat-soluble vitamins. These are the vitamins A, D, E and K. The monosaturated fats can be produced by your body, so it is not necessary to have them in your diet every day.
These foods contain monosaturated fatty acids:
– Canola oil – Olive oil – Sunflower oil – Peanuts – Pumpkin seeds – Chashew nuts – Almonds – Pistachios – Avocado – Eggs
Unsaturated fatty acids: polyunsaturated fatty acids
They are particularly important for our body. Omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids belong to the group of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid are essential, i.e. necessary for us to live. Since our body cannot produce them on its own, we have to take them in with food. However, much helps much is not advised here. Linoleic acid, for example, which is one of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, lowers bad LDL cholesterol, but it also lowers good HDL cholesterol at the same time. So can promote the risk of atherosclerosis.
These foods contain polyunsaturated fatty acids:
– vegetable oils like rapeseed oil, linseed oil, walnut oil, soybean oil – linseeds – walnuts – fatty fish like salmon, mackerel
Saturated fatty acids
Saturated fatty acids are often called bad fats. But this is only partly true. Only the long-chain fatty acids seem to have a negative effect on health. For example, they are needed by our nervous system as messenger substances, which is why we should also have saturated fatty acids in our diet. However, the intake of too much saturated fatty acids can increase cholesterol levels, promote diabetes or be responsible for the calcification of blood vessels.
These foods contain saturated fatty acids:
Trans fats
Trans fats are dangerous fats that we should avoid for the sake of our health. They are not natural fats, because they are produced during the frying of food or during hydrogenation, i.e. the hardening of vegetable oils.