“I know that fats are
necessary but sometimes
I don’t know how to
make the healthiest fat
choices.”
-Connor Murphy
Oneonta State Wrestling
The Importance of Fats
-Kimberly Chong, NFP Educator
Myths & Facts
Myth: All fats are equal—and
equally bad for you.
Fact: There are various types of
fats that can be either good or
bad for you. Saturated and trans
fat can increase your risk of
heart disease whereas poly &
monounsaturated fats may help
lower your risk of heart disease.
Myth: We should limit fat in
our body.
Fact: Most people do not get
enough of the healthy,
necessary fats in their diets
regularly.
Myth: Lowering the amount of
fat you eat is what matters the
most.
Fact: The type of fats that you
eat, rather than the total
amount in your diet is what
matters most when it comes to
your cholesterol and health.
The key is to eat more good fats
and less bad fats.
Myth: Fat-free means healthy.
Fact: A “fat-free” label doesn’t
mean you can eat all you want
without consequences to your
waistline. Many fat-free foods
are high in sugar, refined
carbohydrates, and calories.
In addition, they provide
energy, help satiate your
appetite, are used as building
blocks for cells and hormones,
and are carriers for fat-soluble
vitamins A, D, E and K.
Moderate to intense training
requires both carbohydrates and
fat for fuel. Fats provide the
body with energy to drive
activity. Where carbohydrates
account for the majority of
energy during short-duration or
low-intensity exercise, fats
make up the majority of energy
during longer or more intense
workouts.
The Truth about Fats
Fat, the ill-reputed nutrient is
often ignored and not eaten in
adequate amounts. The truth is,
healthy fat is an important
aspect of an athlete’s diet. Fat
does provide some benefits to
your body, including proper
absorption of certain vitamins,
hormone production, energy,
insulation against extreme
temperatures, and protection for
internal organs.
Fat provides the highest
concentration of energy of all
the nutrients. One gram of fat
equals nine calories. One pound
of stored fat provides
approximately 3,500 calories of
energy. Fat is essential for all
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athletes. Although these
calories are less accessible to
athletes performing quick,
intense efforts like sprinting or
weight lifting, it is useful for
longer, slower lower intensity
and endurance exercise such as
easy cycling and walking. Fat
provides the main fuel source
for long duration, low to
moderate intensity exercise,
such as marathons. During high
intensity exercise, where
carbohydrate is the main fuel
source, fat is needed to help
access the stored carbohydrate
(in the form of glycogen).
As an athlete, one must
consider the following when
consuming fat for fuel:
Fat is slow to digest and be
converted into a usable form of
energy which could take up to 6
hours. Converting stored body
fat into energy takes time. The
body needs to breakdown fat
and transport it to the working
muscles before it can be used as
energy. Converting stored body
fat into energy requires oxygen,
so exercise intensity must
decrease in order for this
process to occur.
For these reasons, athletes need
to carefully time when they eat
fat, how much they eat and the
type of fat they eat. Generally
speaking, it’s not a great idea to
eat fat immediately before or
during intense exercise.
There are various types of fats,
both healthy and unhealthy.
Unsaturated fats, which are
healthy, include
polyunsaturated fatty acids and
monounsaturated fats. Both
mono- and polyunsaturated fats,
when eaten in moderation and
used to replace saturated or
trans fats, can help lower
cholesterol levels and reduce
your risk of heart disease.
Polyunsaturated fats, found
mostly in vegetable oils, help
lower both blood cholesterol
levels and triglyceride levels -especially when you substitute
them for saturated fats. One
type of polyunsaturated fat is
omega-3 fatty acids, whose
potential heart-health benefits
have gotten a lot of attention.
Omega-3s are found in fatty fish
(salmon, trout, catfish,
mackerel), as well as flaxseed
and walnuts. And it's fish that
contains the most effective,
"long-chain" type of omega-3s.
The American Heart
Association recommends eating
2 servings of fatty fish each
week.
There are two types of fat that
should be eaten sparingly:
saturated and trans fatty acids.
Both can raise cholesterol
levels, clog arteries, and
increase the risk for heart
disease. Saturated fats are found
in animal products (meat,
poultry skin, high-fat dairy, and
eggs) and in vegetable fats that
are liquid at room temperature,
such as coconut and palm oils.
Most trans fats are made during
food processing through partial
hydrogenation of unsaturated
fats. This process creates fats
that are easier to cook with and
less likely to spoil than are
naturally occurring oils. These
trans fats are called industrial
or synthetic trans fats. Research
studies show that synthetic
trans fat can increase unhealthy
LDL cholesterol and lower
healthy high-density lipoprotein
(HDL) cholesterol. This can
increase your risk of
cardiovascular disease. The
2005 Dietary Guidelines
recommend limiting saturated
fats to 10% or less of your total
calories, while the American
Heart Association recommends
keeping them to just 7% of total
calories.
Food Sources
You can enjoy healthy fats in:
-Olive oil
-Canola oil
-Sunflower oil
-Peanut oil
-Sesame oil
-Avocados
-Olives
-Nuts (almonds, peanuts,
macadamia nuts, hazelnuts,
pecans, cashews)
-Peanut butter
-Soybean oil
-Corn oil
Safflower oil
-Walnuts
-Sunflower, sesame, pumpkin
seeds
-Flaxseed
-Fatty fish (salmon, tuna,
mackerel, herring, trout,
sardines)
-Soymilk
-Tofu
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References
Shuman, Dan. "Fats for
Endurance Athletes." Fats for
Endurance Athletes. 1st Choice
Healthcare Center, n.d. Web. 15
Oct. 2013.
Smith, Melinda, Maya Paul, and
Robert Segal. "Choosing
Healthy Fats." : Good Fats, Bad
Fats, and the Power of Omega-3s.
Helpguide.org, Sept. 2013.
Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
Kuzemchek, Sally. "The Truth
About Saturated Fats." Fitness
Magazine. Meredith
Corporation, n.d. Web. 15 Oct.
2013.
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