Fats are the most misunderstood of the three macronutrients, and the truth is that there is a lot to know before we can make confident and informed decisions about the fats we choose to consume and avoid. A good place to start is by understanding what fatty acids are and their different degrees of saturation and unsaturation.
When we talk about fats, we are talking about a few interchangeable terms like fats, oils, lipids, and triglycerides. Triglycerides are the stored form of fat and a broken down triglyceride equates to one glycerol molecule and three individual fatty acid molecules. It is these individual fatty acids that can be categorized as saturated or unsaturated, but what does that mean exactly?
There have been many teachers in my life that have left a positive effect on me throughout my different stages of learning. I believe that’s a big reason as to why I value education and learning. It has also contributed to my willingness to help others if I am in a position to do so. One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned as a student from a teacher is this idea of helping yourself.
This is a joke, but it lends to the idea that people have an irrational fear of calories!
The foods that we eat everyday provide us with macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients – our carbohydrates, proteins, and fats – are what supply us with calories, and calories are nothing more than a unit of energy. Some people jump when they hear the word calorie but as you will find out below, calories are vital tools for our survival and nothing to be afraid of.
There are some very strong held notions in the realm of nutrition and one of the most firmly held beliefs is that sugar is bad for us. More than just being bad for us, is the notion that sugars (and carbohydrates) are a dietary evil and are at the root cause of almost every modern-day chronic disease. The reality is that these claims about sugars and carbohydrates are exaggerated and they are not as harmful for us as they are made out to be.
A micronutrient is defined as any substance that is required in small amounts for the healthy growth and development of an organism. In the context of nutrition and the human diet, these are vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals do not provide energy like macronutrients, but they do enable the body to break down and use the energy provided from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. As such, they are necessary for the proper functioning of the human body.
There have been many teachers in my life that have left a positive effect on me throughout my different stages of learning. I believe that’s a big reason as to why I value education and learning. It has also contributed to my willingness to help others if I am in a position to do so. One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned as a student from a teacher is this idea of helping yourself.
