Tag: Fats

Should trans fats be banned in India?

Should trans fats be banned in India?

Trans fats are harmful for your health and can cause several health issues, as we have seen in the previous posts – Man made deadly trans fats & What are the sources of harmful trans fats?

The AHA and WHO recommends a maximum of no more than 2 grams of trans fat per day (≤1%of total energy). There is no safe level of trans fat and that people should eat as little as possible.

In 2006, USFDA passed a regulation which made it mandatory for all food items and supplements to label the amount of “Trans fats” it contained. Continue reading “Should trans fats be banned in India?”

Man-made deadly trans fats!

unhealthy trans fats

“You shouldn’t need to be a chemical engineer to buy healthy food,” said Steen Stender, a cardiologist from Copenhagen University Hospital who kick-started a now global revolt against the addition of harmful fats to our daily diet.  

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 5,000 Americans a year die of heart disease because artificial trans fat is in the food supply. US Food & Drug Administration Commissioner says “… reduction in the amount of trans fat in the American diet could prevent an additional 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year – a critical step in the protection of Americans’ health.” Continue reading “Man-made deadly trans fats!”

Choose your cooking oil wisely

Cooking oil is something that we use almost daily, and it can impact our health – both in positive as well as negative ways.

One type of oil may not provide all the fatty acids in the desired ratio. Fatty acids of primarily of 4 types and out of these 2 are beneficial while the other two need to be restricted. Particular oil may be rich in one fatty acid and lacking in another.

Continue reading “Choose your cooking oil wisely”

What is our body’s fat requirement?

our body's fat requirement

Fat is the most energy dense nutrient with 1 gm providing around 9kcal of energy. This has very important role to play and cannot be ignored or eliminated. However, most of us overuse this nutrient on a daily basis.

Total recommended fat intake is around 30-35% of total calories. For e.g. In a 1500 kcal diet, fat should be 45-50g which includes visible and invisible fat

Our requirement of visible fat including oil, ghee and butter is 3 tsp or 15g/day. This turns out to be 450ml (15oz)/person/month. Continue reading “What is our body’s fat requirement?”