Fat: Who Needs It?
Finding the Good Part of Fat
and Advertising It
Student Information Page 1B
Activity Introduction:
Fat is big news; literally and figuratively. Everyone has fat in their body. The amount of fat,
however, is an important health concern. Yet, with all the concern over fat, many people
don’t realize or they forget, that there is a good side to fat.
Activity Background:
We usually think of body fat in terms of weight gain, however, we cannot live without it!
Why? It allows our bodies to:
• Grow and develop normally
• Use a backup source of energy if blood sugar supplies run out
• Use certain vitamins, such as vitamin E, A, D, and K
• Cushion, support, and protect vital organs and bones
• Maintain cell membranes in every cell in our bodies
• Insulate our bodies to help keep a constant body temperature
• Insulates nerve fibers to help transfer nerve impulses
• Make certain hormones needed by the body
• Aid in the immune response
However, as most people know, excess body fat is associated with serious health risks. It’s all
about keeping a healthy amount of body fat.
Dietary fat is fat taken in with the foods we consume. Among the nutrients our body
requires, fat is the most concentrated source of energy. Reasons why you need dietary
fat include:
• Energy
• Used to make cell membranes
• Helps keep capillary walls healthy
• Make hormones that regulate blood pressure, clotting, and heart rate
Aging®/M.O.R.E.
Positively
2007©The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Corpulosity
We have two types of body fat; essential fat and stored fat. Essential fat is stored in various
places in our bodies, including major body organs, bone marrow, nerves, brain, muscles, etc.
This essential fat is required for normal body processes. Women have about 4 times more
essential fat than men; 12% of their total body weight in women; 3% in men. Stored fat, on
the other hand is stored in specialized fat cells called adipocytes. This fat is used to store
energy since molecules of fat have more energy per gram than any other type of nutrient.
When more calories are taken in than used, we store excess in adipocytes. Over time, if this
pattern keeps up, we gain stored body fat and may become overweight or obese.
LESSON 1
ACTIVITY 1B
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• Normal functioning of the nervous system
• Transfer vitamins from food into body
• Provide sense of fullness after meals
Too much fat in the diet, however, leads to excess calories and weight gain.
Some unhealthy dietary fat can lead to increased blood cholesterol, increasing
the risk of arterial disease. Both obesity and high cholesterol have serious
health consequences.
Some dietary fats are healthier than others and some are downright unhealthy. Therefore, it
is important to know the difference. Many foods contain several different kinds of fat.
Healthy dietary fats help lower bad cholesterol and reduce your risk of cardiovascular
disease. They include:
t monounsaturated – found in olive, peanut, and canola oil; also in avocados.
t polyunsaturated – found in vegetable oil (such as safflower, corn, sunflower, and soy)
t omega-3 fatty acids – found in cold-water fish such as salmon, flaxseeds, and walnuts.
These oils lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and help maintain a regular
heartbeat and lower blood pressure.
Unhealthy dietary fats may increase your bad (LDL) cholesterol, leaving you at higher risk
of developing cardiovascular disease. They include:
t saturated fats – found in animal products such as red meat, poultry, butter, whole
milk, and cheese. Tropical oils like coconut and palm also have high amounts of
saturated fat.
t cholesterol – can oxidize in the body, setting off an inflammatory process
that leads to cardiovascular disease. We can make cholesterol naturally, but
we also need some cholesterol from our diets. Just remember, too much
is harmful.
Aging®/M.O.R.E.
Positively
2007©The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Corpulosity
t trans-fats – found in baked goods and fried foods (cookies, doughnuts, cakes,
crackers, etc.). Trans-fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil,
making it solid and increasing the shelf life. Not everyone agrees on how
much trans-fat can be safely consumed, but the American Heart Association
suggests limiting it to no more than 1% of your total daily calorie intake.
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What happens to our bodies when we do not have enough body fat and/or fat in
our diets? We may experience:
s Dry skin
s Hair loss
s Sensitivity to cold
s Bruising
s Poor growth and development
s Slow healing of wounds
s Loss of menstruation
s Low immunity
Activity Materials:
1 Copy of Student Data Page (per student)
Activity Instructions:
1. You will work in groups of two to research information about how fat can be “good”.
2. Think carefully about how you would advertise your fatoid to help people understand
how fat might be beneficial. The advertisement must be in the form of a television
commercial. Since advertising time on major TV networks is expensive, you must convey
your message quickly (60 seconds) and effectively. It must be persuasive; remember most
people think of fat as a bad thing.
4. Develop your commercial and rehearse your presentation of it. Be sure to time the
commercial – airtime is expensive and you may not go over the allotted time of
60 seconds.
5. Both partners must share in all phases of developing the commercial and
presenting it. Complete the Student Data Page to plan your commercial and
write the script.
Aging®/M.O.R.E.
Positively
2007©The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Corpulosity
3. Your advertisement must have the following parts;
a. Catchy name
b. Logo and jingle.
c. Six facts that describe how fat can be good
d. List of good and bad dietary fats. Be sure you know the foods in which they
are found.
e. Method to persuade people that fat can be a good thing.
f. Colorful design.
g. Prop for demonstration purposes during your commercial.
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