Saturated v. Poly and Monounsaturated fat

jmosborn32
jmosborn32 Posts: 18
in Food and Nutrition
I am new to MFP and have a question regarding saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats. Currently, MFP has my saturated fat goal set to 17g/day and my poly and monounsaturated fats set to 0g/day. I know saturated fats are unhealthy and should be limited, however, I am confused as to why MFP has set the other two fats to zero considering plenty of healthy foods contain these fats. I have consistently gone over the zero gram allotment. Not by much, however, when I have peanut butter, eat salmon, and use olive oil, I am eating these fats. I have always understood that that these two fats are healthy in moderation. Any and all help regarding this would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
    Good article that explains fats:

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fats/#axzz2Hc3tIA8H
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    There is no requirement for monounsaturates, they are healthy but not essential. Certain omega-3s and omega-6s are classed as essential but you can't lump them together to make a minimum that would be meaningless. From what is left after saturated you could eat almost all monos except a tiny bit of polys or vice versa, as long as the balance of the latter was favourable. The key is eating enough omega-3s and limiting omega-6s but MFP doesn't distinguish.
  • amru31
    amru31 Posts: 1 Member
    I was wondering the same thing myself, especially after reading that monounsaturated fats play a role in decreasing HDL levels. Thanks for beating me to it, and also, the article linked in the reply was fantastic. Well done!
  • craigineson
    craigineson Posts: 88 Member
    Humans need far more than 17g of fat per day in order to promote healthy skin, cell function, and hormonal regulation.

    The mistake people make when looking at macronutrients is that a calorie is a calorie - It's simply not the case. Protein and fats have other functions besides providing energy. So, those 4 calories a gram of protein provides? Well, due to the thermic effect of food, that 4 calories once assimilated is more like 3.2 calorie. Then, it's first function in the body is maintenance of essential tissues - Bone, organ, and muscle mass - not to provide energy.

    Fat is the same - it provides 9 calories per gram on the tin. However, IIRC, not all fats provide the same number of calories to the body. Some provide as low as 6 calories, some provide the full 9 (I think that cocoa fat is the most inefficient; coconut is the least inefficient). Then, when they enter the body, they provide vital functions including hormonal regulation, creating cells (they're an essential component of cell walls), and assimilation of fat soluble vitamins.

    The point I'm trying to make - if you're limited to 17g a day, you're not getting enough at all.

    Fats are essential - Saturated are the most chemically stable and hence the most valuable to the body. Monounsaturated are the second in order of chemical stability. Polyunsaturated oils are highly unstable chemically and can cause all manner of problems.

    Avoid trans or hydrogenated fats like the plague. There is no telling what these man-made, horrible non-foods do to our bodies at a cellular level.

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