Fat
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A: What is fat?
B: Fat is made up of molecules called triglycerides, and they are not all alike
A: Why is that?
B: Because the subtle differences in structures of the chemical chains determine whether fat is solid or liquid, whether or not it goes rancid quickly, and how good or bad it is for you. The difference in length and the type of bond between the carbon atoms also plays a similar role
A: I know that the chain can be short or long, but how can the bond between the carbon atoms affect the type of fat?
B: Some carbon atoms have only single bonds. Others have both single and double bonds. The single bond type is called saturated. Those with one or more double bonds are called unsaturated. Most unsaturated fats are good for you, while saturated fats are bad for you
A: So, I need to use only unsaturated fat, donât I?
B: You should beware of the type the double bond can be arranged. There are two ways to arrange them, and they behave completely differently inside of us
A: What are those types?
B: They are cis and trans
A: I have never heard of cis, but heard of trans fats before
B: Yeah, you should be careful with trans fat. They donât go rancid, get more stable during deep frying, and can change the texture of foods in ways that other fats just canât. They are also terrible for your health, by far worse than saturated fat, even though technically they are a type of unsaturated fat
A: It is crazy
B: I know, but your body doesnât care what a molecule looks like on paper. All that matters is the 3d shape where the molecule fits, where it doesnât, and what pathways it interferes with
A: How can I know if a food has trans fats in it?
B: The only sure way to know is if you see the words âpartially hydrogenatedâ in the ingredients list. Manufacturers may claim that their products contain â0â grams of trans fat even if they actually have up to half a gram per serving
A: Why can they do that?
B: Because there are no hard and fast rules about how small a serving can be. You have to rely on seeing those key words âpartially hydrogenatedâ
A: But why is âpartially hydrogenatedâ?
B: Because that is how trans fats are made, by partially hydrogenating unsaturated fats
A: When I go to the supermarket, I see olive oil is 100% fat, and pancake mix, on the other hand, is only about 11% fat. Is pancake mix better for me?
B: Absolutely not. If I were you, I would choose olive oil
A: Why?
B: Olive oil is mostly unsaturated fat, and it has no trans fat at all. On the other hand, more than half the fat in pancake mix is either saturated or trans fat. So even though olive oil has ten times as much fat as pancake mix. It is healthy for you whereas pancake is not. You should avoid foods with this type of fat profile
A: You mean the amount of fat I eat does not matter but the kind of fat does
B: Thatâs right