CANOLA OIL
Some consumers think that all fat is bad. In truth, fats perform many vital roles in the human body. Fats help keep us warm and provide energy. In foods, fats carry flavors, aromas and the fat-soluble vitamins. Two types of fat found in canola oil are needed for health. It is time for consumers to hear some good news about fat!
For nearly two decades, North Americans have been told to eat less fat. Low-fat diets are linked with reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. In the drive to get fat out, an important message has been lost - some fat is needed in the diet for good health. In foods, fats carry flavors and promote tenderness. In the human body, fats cushion delicate organs and provide energy to keep the body warm and for physical work. Some dietary fats are essential, meaning they must be eaten in foods because our bodies cannot make them. Here are six good reasons why everyone needs some fat in their daily diet.
Reasons Why Fat is Important in the Diet:
1. Fat is a Building Block
Just like the steel girders in a skyscraper or the two-by-fours that frame a house, fat is a building block of all cells in the human body. Fat in the form of phospholipids is the basic structure of cells. Phospholipids control the passage of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients into and out of the body’s cells; and they control how proteins, immune cells and hormones bind to cells. Phospholipids act as emulsifiers, helping to keep fats mixed in body fluids like blood.
2. Fat is a Starting Material for Hormones and Cholesterol:
Sterols are a type of fat found in both plant and animal foods. Canola oil contains several plant sterols. Plant sterols help lower blood cholesterol levels.
In the human body, many important compounds are sterols, including vitamin D, which is needed for bone growth; bile, which acts like an emulsifier to help digest fats and oils; the sex hormones such estrogen and testosterone; and other hormones like cortisol. Cholesterol is also a sterol. Although cholesterol is found in animal foods, the human body also makes cholesterol. In the body, cells use cholesterol as a building material and for making sex hormones and vitamin D.
3. Fat Helps Absorb Essential Vitamins:
Fat-soluble vitamins - vitamins A, D, E and K – and the carotenoids (-carotene, lycopene and lutein) are found in the fats and oils of foods. The body absorbs these essential nutrients better when the diet contains some fat. Indeed, adding a little fat cooked vegetables helps in digesting and absorbing
the carotenoids. The carotenoids are found in fruit and vegetables, which are naturally low in fat. As little as 5 grams of fat in a meal - the amount of fat found in one teaspoon (5mL) of canola oil - ensures that carotenoids in the meal are digested and absorbed.
4. Some Fats are Essential:
Fats are made up of smaller units called fatty acids. Two fatty acids are essential in our diet because our bodies cannot make them. The essential fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid, and linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 fatty acid. These fatty acids play important roles in the normal operation of the body’s cells. Canola oil is a very good source of ALA in the North American diet. Women who eat as little as one tablespoon (15mL) of canola oil daily get the full recommended amount of ALA. Men who add one tablespoon (15mL) of canola oil to their daily diet get 80% of their recommended intake of ALA.
Canola oil also provides LA in the North American diet. One tablespoon (15mL) of canola oil daily provides about one-quarter of a woman’s recommended intake of LA and about one-fifth of a man’s recommended LA intake
المزيد
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