For many years, the belief has prevailed that vegetable fats are far superior to animal fats in terms of our health. Furthermore, due to the impact on the environment, more and more people are definitively leaving behind the use of animal fats in favor of vegetable fats with their eyes closed. But are we so sure that vegetable fats as a whole are beneficial for the human body? Which ones are the most beneficial, which ones should we avoid and what should we do in general?
Animals
In our diet, in the hierarchy of animal fats, butter is in first place. This contains about 80% fat, of which at least half is saturated. It also contains a large amount of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). Lard (pork fat) contains almost 100% fat (of which 40% is saturated). On the other hand, fish oils contain 100% fat, but most of it is polyunsaturated (30-50%) and contains huge amounts of vitamin D (mainly those from fish liver oils, which reach up to 1.000 IU per serving). In particular, the first two types (butter and lard) have been implicated in the past for increasing blood cholesterol and LDL due to their high content of saturated fatty acids.
Vegetables
This, combined with the widespread use of vegetable oils in our daily diet (cooking food & desserts, salads) has led most people to switch almost entirely to the use of olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, margarine, sunflower oil and canola.
Olive oil
It contains 5-15% polyunsaturated fatty acids, 70-75% monounsaturated and 10-15% saturated fatty acids. It is the oil with the greatest use and tradition for the Greeks. It contains significant amounts of antioxidants (polyphenols, vitamin E) and substances that reduce LDL (phytosterols), but its content in saturated fats (palmitic acid) and its high caloric value (almost 900Kcal/100ml) make it an oil that should be used sparingly.
Coconut oil
Although it is a vegetable oil, it is the oil with the highest content of saturated fatty acids (>90%), mainly myristic, palmitic and lauric acid. The latter is known for its antimicrobial properties, but although the fats in coconut oil belong to the medium chain saturated ones, the scientific community still believes that they raise total cholesterol and LDL in the blood. Many use it in smoothies and drinks.
Palm oil
Palm oil is composed of half (50%) saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic), about 40% monounsaturated and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic). And this is "responsible" for increasing LDL levels in the blood if consumed in large quantities. In the market we find it widely in products such as croissants, bread and puff pastry. In addition, palm oil is one of the main reasons for deforestation (especially those in the Amazon and Borneo).
Sunflower oil
It is an oil with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (66%, linoleic), moderate in monounsaturated (25%, oleic) and saturated fatty acids (14%, palmitic). It is rich in Omega-6 fatty acids but when refined it loses much of its nutritional value.
Canola
It is derived from rapeseed oil, a staple of the Nordic Diet. It contains the lowest amounts of saturated fatty acids (<8%) and is rich in both polyunsaturated (60-64%) and monounsaturated fatty acids (28-30%). Be careful with those made from genetically modified materials (GMOs).
Margarine
It is the most common replacement for butter, having almost the same fat content (80%), but 20-30% being saturated, 15-40% monounsaturated and the remaining 25-50% being polyunsaturated. It is a processed food, rich in trans fatty acids (~5%) although it is an excellent source of vitamins A & D.
Conclusion
As we have observed, the content of saturated fatty acids is not an "exclusive privilege" of animal fats. Some of the vegetable fats (e.g. coconut oil) contain very large quantities. However, the content of polyunsaturated fats is not an "exclusive privilege" of animal fats either. With the help of your dietitian and doctor, you can continue to use these fats that satisfy and please you. The aim is to understand, even for olive oil, that there is neither a form of fat that we will condemn with a lifelong exclusion from our diet, nor another that we will be able to consume without restraint without knowing its composition. Of course, saturated fatty acids are not "dangerous" when taken in the appropriate quantities since they are responsible for a multitude of biochemical processes in our body (e.g. hormone production). However, we cannot consume polyunsaturated fatty acids without fear, since their chronic overconsumption increases the risk of various types of cancer.
To the question "are all vegetable fats good for our bodies" we answer "it depends", neither "yes" nor "no". It is a matter of quantity, combinations, overall 24-hour diet and health history.
In other words, plant foods contain amounts of both saturated (peanut butter) and polyunsaturated (walnuts) and monounsaturated fatty acids (avocado). Therefore, the balance between fats in our daily diet results from the total amount of fats consumed and not just from the vegetable or animal fat we cook our food with.
photo by Bru-nO, https://pixabay.com
