Ben-official

Author: Ben Benson

With Valentine's Day and way too many chocolates in the rearview mirror, it's time to get back to at least thinking about eating right. (Those little chocolates in the heart-shaped box are only calorie-free for one day a year). Anyway, one thing all of those types of chocolate have in common is the macronutrient fat. There exists a negative connotation to the consumption of fat, but fat is a necessary nutrient with several benefits. Fat provides energy, is necessary for healthy skin and for the absorption of some types of vitamins. When dieting, a plan that purely minimizes fats is not a good idea. Fat helps the body feel full because it is digested slowly. Eating small portions of fatty foods may actually help you maintain your weight more easily than trying to fill up on lighter foods.

There are several different types of fatty acids and they are all made up of similar components. Not to bore you with the chemistry, but all fats have a backbone structure, often glycerol, and have chains of carbon and hydrogen with a carboxylic acid group at one end (making up the acid part of the fatty acid). Fats can be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on chemical makeup and shape. There are several different types of fats that humans consume - some beneficial, some detrimental, all harmful when consumed in excess.

Unsaturated fats are the most beneficial type of fat and include monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and Omega-3 fatty acids. These fats, when eaten instead of more harmful fats, are known to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease and decrease the likelihood of stroke. Fats are required for the digestion of vitamins A, D, E and K and regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood clotting and the nervous system. When consuming fats, stick to unsaturated fats whenever possible.

Saturated fats and trans fats are detrimental and provide little benefit to the body. These two types of fats are more likely to be solid at room temperature, such as the waxy fat from red meat. Large consumption of these types of fats can increase risk of heart disease and blood clotting. Trans fats make products less likely to spoil and are often found in commercial baked goods and sweets.

When perusing the dining hall, there are several options for selecting unsaturated fats. For one, given the option of a red meat or a coldwater fish like salmon, choose the fish. Coldwater fish contains healthy levels of omega-3 fatty acids while red meat contains a high percentage of saturated fats. Another source of saturated fats is dairy products, such as whole milk and cheese. Choosing skim milk and eating another form of unsaturated fat like nuts is a much better choice.

For those of you who avoid meats or eat salad for the majority of your meals, it's still important to be conscious of the fats you're consuming. The majority of oil-based salad dressings are made with vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is a saturated fat and should be minimized, while olive oil is an easy replacement for vegetable oil and contains monounsaturated fat. Try making your own dressing using olive oil, which is available at all three salad bars. Also, instead of feta cheese or bacon bits on top of a salad, try sunflower seeds or almonds.

Of course, too much fat of any kind is bad for the body. A healthy range of fat consumption is 20 to 35 percent of your caloric intake for the day. Oh, and ketchup is fat-free.