Dietetics and nutrition therapy graduate student Anna Marroquin presented the fourth and final topic in the BeWell Expand Your Horizons: Food Exploration Series on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
Marroquin concluded the series with a discussion on healthy fats including oils, nuts and seeds.
She started by explaining that fats are complex molecules and the most common ones in our bodies and foods are called triglycerides. They are essential nutrients that we get from foods because our bodies aren’t able to produce enough to sustain, grow and properly function.
Dietary guidelines suggest humans get 20-35% of daily calories from fat. Some of the roles that healthy fats play in human bodies are nutrient absorption, energy, insulation and protection.
In foods, they help with enhancing and retaining flavor, as well as providing different textures to foods such as moisture, flakiness and tenderness. Fats also help with heat transfer in foods.
“So in addition to the things in our bodies, fats also have a lot of different roles in food,” Marroquin said. “Fats really just make it delicious and give us different textures and flavors. So a flavor helps to absorb and hold on to flavor compounds. So foods with fat will be more flavorful. If you’ve ever swapped lite coconut milk for whole coconut milk, it is not the same.
An audience member asked Marroquin to describe how to tell when a person isn’t getting enough fats in their diet.
Marroquin said some of the symptoms include lower energy levels and feeling hungry often, since fat is digested more slowly to help a person stay satisfied longer.
She described the major types of fats in foods. Saturated fats are mainly found in animal products and processed foods and are solid at room temperature. Trans fats, which are solid at room temperature, are largely made through hydrogenation. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and are broken up into monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.
“The most simple way of thinking about it is you want to just emphasize unsaturated fats, because we know that those ones promote health overall, and replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats has been found to have health benefits and reduce your risk of heart disease,” Marroquin said.
While saturated fats are not inherently bad, Marroquin said people should limit them, as guidelines recommend they take up no more than 10% of daily calories. She recommends people be mindful of portion sizes and how often they eat solid fats.
Trans fats are banned in the U.S. for the most part because of their link to increased risk of heart disease. Some foods may still be partially hydrogenated and those should be avoided.
“[The hydrogenation process] was good for the food companies. It wasn’t good for consumers,” BeWell wellness coordinator Moriah Bruner said.
Marroquin later discussed the importance of choosing the right oils for cooking and the benefits of incorporating nuts and seeds into your diet.
They provide fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, as well as flavor and texture. Marroquin suggested incorporating nuts and seeds in cereal, granola, yogurt and smoothies and to also try different types of nut and seed butters.
After going through her slides, Marroquin allowed the audience to taste test olive oil with bread, chia seed pudding and no grain granola, which are all high in healthy fats.
