Dietary decisions made every day by people have a significant impact on their health. Different foods contain different nutrients in varied amounts. According to the International Food Information Council Foundation, seafood contains beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Fish is the primary source of this fat but it can also be found in tuna, shellfish and salmon. Red meat, on the other hand, contains both unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, and is generally considered a source of cholesterol in the diet. Chicken also contains saturated and monounsaturated fats but at an amount lower than what is found in red meat. Likewise, eggs contain saturated fats and cholesterol. However, nuts, seeds and soy mainly contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and a low amount of saturated fats. Oils have more of unsaturated fats than solid fats while solid oils contain more saturated fats than unsaturated fats.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), it is advisable to take foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week to improve cardiovascular health. This is because omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. AHA also recommends that saturated fats make up about 2-6% of energy sources from food. This is because saturated fats increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke. It instead advises more consumption of unsaturated fats which carry a lower risk.
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During nutrition planning, it is important to balance the benefits and risks that are associated with fats. Recommendations suggest that our fat intake ought to have more of unsaturated fats than saturated fats. Hence, during nutritional planning, foods rich in unsaturated fats would feature more in the diet while those rich in unsaturated fats could feature once in a while. In addition, a calculation of the minimum allowed calories from saturated fats could be supplemented with that from unsaturated fats. This means that for adequacy of energy from fats, healthy fats could replace unhealthy ones. This way, the nutritional benefits of fat are reaped without their harmful effects.
