Eating fatty foods is often considered as one of the causes of obesity and a trigger for cardiovascular disease. However, not all fatty foods you need to avoid, because there is also fat that is needed by the body.
Actually, consumption of fatty foods is still necessary to maintain health. The reason is, fat is the body's main source of energy, in addition to carbohydrates and protein. Not only that, fat is also useful in the process of absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, namely vitamins A, D, E, and K.
It's just that you have to be wiser in eating fatty foods to avoid various health problems, including heart disease and stroke.
Fatty Foods are Good for Health
High-fat foods that are good for health are those that contain unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are good for consumption because they can help the growth of new cells, increase good cholesterol (HDL), increase insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Some examples of fatty foods that are good for health are:
Peanut
Nuts are one of the high-fat foods that are good for consumption, because they contain monounsaturated fatty acids that can protect the heart and blood vessels. In addition, nuts also contain other nutrients needed by the body, such as fiber, protein, vitamin E, and magnesium.
Fish
Fish is also included in high-fat foods that are good for consumption. This is because the content of omega-3 fatty acids in fish is useful for improving brain health and preventing cardiovascular disease.
Olive oil
Another high fat food is olive oil. The type of good fat found in olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids. When consumed in the right amount, olive oil can reduce the risk of heart disease and plaque formation in blood vessels due to bad cholesterol (LDL).
Fatty Foods are Bad for Health
On the other hand, there are also high-fat foods that can make you experience heart disease and stroke. The type of fat that can cause you to get both diseases is saturated fat and trans fat. Therefore, you need to limit the consumption of both types of fat to avoid cardiovascular disease.
Some examples of fatty foods that are bad for health include:
Dairy products
Some dairy products, such as cheese, ice cream, and yogurt, are fatty foods that need to be limited in their consumption. This is because some of these dairy products contain saturated fat which can increase bad cholesterol levels in the blood.
Baked cakes
Baked cakes, such as donuts, cookies, and pies, also includes fatty foods that are bad for consumption. The reason is, these snacks are usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, so they contain lots of trans fat.
Fried food
Foods that are cooked by frying using this technique deep frying, such as French fries and fried chicken, can also contain a lot of trans fat.
How Much Fat Consumption Limit Per Day?
Actually, fat still needs to be consumed to increase energy and help the absorption of vitamins needed by the body. It's just that you need to know the limits of consumption of fatty foods to avoid cardiovascular disease.
In Indonesia, the Ministry of Health has issued recommendations for limiting sugar, salt and fat consumption. This consumption limit is called G4G1L5 to make it easier for people to remember.
G4G1L5 is a limit for sugar consumption as much as 4 tablespoons / day, salt as much as 1 teaspoon / day, and fat as much as 5 tablespoons / day. According to this limit, you are only allowed to consume a maximum of 5 tablespoons of fat per day or about 65 grams.
Eating fatty foods that exceed these limits is at risk of causing fat accumulation in the body. This accumulation of fat can cause you to become overweight and develop heart and blood vessel disease.
If you have certain medical conditions, the portion of fatty foods that you are allowed to eat may be less. To find out the amount and type of fatty foods that can be consumed according to your health condition, you should consult a doctor.