Part III: What fats should we eat?
What do the expert recommendations say about fat consumption? Which fats are suitable for us, and which ones can be harmful? And how can we choose fats?
Fats are an integral part of expert nutritional recommendations that advise us on how to eat properly. They take into account the amount and types of fats that Czechs often consume, but also the fact that by properly combining fats in our diet, we can influence a number of health problems that often afflict Czechs.
Fat consumption is very closely related to the issue of cardiovascular diseases, which are the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in the Czech Republic.
However, this also applies to other very common diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure or fat metabolism disorders. These are independent diseases, but at the same time the most common risk factors for heart and vascular diseases.
Nutritional recommendations tell us that we should eat an appropriate amount of fat, limit fats that are disadvantageous in their composition and prioritize those that can be very beneficial to health. This means that we should not overdo it with fat in our diet, which is a relatively common problem in Czech diets. It is important to avoid high consumption of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and especially trans-unsaturated fatty acids (TFA), and to prioritize fats with a higher content of polyene (polyunsaturated) fatty acids (PUFA), especially n-3 (omega 3) PUFA.
It is important to avoid high consumption of saturated fatty acids and especially trans unsaturated fatty acids.
The recommendation may seem complicated, but it is just a matter of knowing which fatty acids we can find in which foods. In very simple terms, we can say that trans fatty acids are currently almost non-existent in food, but they can be formed, for example, during frying. The source of saturated fatty acids is mainly animal fats (except fish) and tropical vegetable fats (especially coconut and palm kernel). A favorable composition of fat with a higher content of unsaturated fatty acids can be found in fish, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and products made from them. These are fats that should predominate in our diet.
An inappropriately selected fat for processing at higher temperatures also has a negative effect.
Only fats that can withstand such high temperatures are suitable for processing such as frying, longer sautéing, etc. If we do not choose the right one, the fat will burn at higher temperatures, forming toxic substances. It therefore depends both on the choice of fats and on their use in the culinary preparation. Therefore, it is advisable to choose fats with a more advantageous composition and, when choosing fats for cooking food, pay attention to their thermal stability.
We can choose fats, and we often do, according to taste and consistency.
The series was prepared for us by Věra Boháčová, DiS., who is an expert in the field of nutritional counseling. She graduated as a certified nutritional therapist at a higher medical school and has been engaged in nutritional counseling for adults and children for more than 20 years. She also works as a lecturer at a private higher medical school, where she works with future nutritional therapists. You can read about her work on her website.
Fats are an integral part of expert nutritional recommendations that advise us on how to eat properly. They take into account the amount and types of fats that Czechs often consume, but also the fact that by properly combining fats in our diet, we can influence a number of health problems that often afflict Czechs.
Fat consumption is very closely related to the issue of cardiovascular diseases, which are the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in the Czech Republic.
However, this also applies to other very common diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure or fat metabolism disorders. These are independent diseases, but at the same time the most common risk factors for heart and vascular diseases.
Nutritional recommendations tell us that we should eat an appropriate amount of fat, limit fats that are disadvantageous in their composition and prioritize those that can be very beneficial to health. This means that we should not overdo it with fat in our diet, which is a relatively common problem in Czech diets. It is important to avoid high consumption of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and especially trans-unsaturated fatty acids (TFA), and to prioritize fats with a higher content of polyene (polyunsaturated) fatty acids (PUFA), especially n-3 (omega 3) PUFA.
It is important to avoid high consumption of saturated fatty acids and especially trans unsaturated fatty acids.
The recommendation may seem complicated, but it is just a matter of knowing which fatty acids we can find in which foods. In very simple terms, we can say that trans fatty acids are currently almost non-existent in food, but they can be formed, for example, during frying. The source of saturated fatty acids is mainly animal fats (except fish) and tropical vegetable fats (especially coconut and palm kernel). A favorable composition of fat with a higher content of unsaturated fatty acids can be found in fish, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and products made from them. These are fats that should predominate in our diet.
An inappropriately selected fat for processing at higher temperatures also has a negative effect.
Only fats that can withstand such high temperatures are suitable for processing such as frying, longer sautéing, etc. If we do not choose the right one, the fat will burn at higher temperatures, forming toxic substances. It therefore depends both on the choice of fats and on their use in the culinary preparation. Therefore, it is advisable to choose fats with a more advantageous composition and, when choosing fats for cooking food, pay attention to their thermal stability.
We can choose fats, and we often do, according to taste and consistency.
The series was prepared for us by Věra Boháčová, DiS., who is an expert in the field of nutritional counseling. She graduated as a certified nutritional therapist at a higher medical school and has been engaged in nutritional counseling for adults and children for more than 20 years. She also works as a lecturer at a private higher medical school, where she works with future nutritional therapists. You can read about her work on her website.
