By Maddie Mills, Student Nutritionist Happy second week of National Nutrition Month! We are celebrating week two here at UMD by learning about navigating healthy vs. unhealthy fats in your diet, and promoting consumption of healthy fats. Despite the negative connotation, some types of fat are actually crucial to a balanced and nutritious diet. Saturated vs. UnsaturatedFats, or lipids, are long molecules made up of mainly carbon and hydrogen atoms. A saturated fat simply means that the molecule is "saturated" with the highest possible number of hydrogen atoms, making it more rigid. Because of this, an easy identifier is that saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature. An unsaturated fat contains a double bond, causing a kink in the molecular structure. For this reason, unsaturated fats can often be identified as liquids at room temperature. A diet rich in saturated fats puts you at greater risk of high cholesterol and heart disease. However, unsaturated fats have the opposite effect and can actually help reduce bad cholesterol and inflammation, and improve heart health.
Monounsaturated vs. Polyunsaturated
The Real Bad Guy: Trans FatsTrans fats were created industrially by the food industry as a preservation method in processed goods. Partially hydrogenated oils were commonly found in packaged baked goods, vegetable shortening, margarine, and many fast food franchises used them for frying. However, trans fats are the most dangerous for your heart... and here's why. Trans fats increase the bad cholesterol and decrease the good cholesterol in your blood. Eating these fats in high doses greatly increases the risk of heart disease and plaque deposition in our blood vessels, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke. It also greatly increases risk for type 2 diabetes. According to the World Health Organization, "approximately 540,000 deaths each year can be attributed to intake of industrially produced trans-fatty acids." Click here to learn more from the WHO Signs of trans fats on food labels: Partially Hydrogenated Oils, Margarine, Oleo, Shortening Make sure to check out next week's blog and National Nutrition Month Event! WHEN: Tuesday, March 15 WHERE: 251 North Dining Hall WHAT: General Mills Event with special guest corporate chef Ted Osorio
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ABOUTTerps With Taste is run by the Student Nutritionist Team with University of Maryland Dining Services. We write content for students, by students. Enjoy! Categories
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