Fats and oils are concentrated sources of energy. Dietary fat should be limited to approximately 20 to 30 percent of total daily intake. Energy provides by one gram of fat is 9 kcal.
Fats are classified as:
- Simple lipids eg: triglycerides
- Compound lipids eg: phospholipids
- Derived lipids eg: cholesterol
The human body can synthesize triglycerides and cholesterol endogenously. Most of the body fat (99%) in the adipose tissue is in the form of triglycerides. In normal human subjects adipose tissue constitutes between 10 to 15% of body weight.
Fat yield fatty acids and glycerol on hydrolysis. Fatty acids are divided into saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids which are further divided into monosaturated and polysaturated fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are those which cannot be synthesized by humans. They can be derived only from food.
Ideally, saturated fats should contribute no more than 10 percent of the total energy intake for a normal human. Unsaturated vegetable oils should be substituted for the remaining fat requirement. These facts you can include in your diet plan only if you know your daily fat consumption, and therefore, to keep a track on it is crucial.
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