ON WHAT TO EAT - 3


                                             
                                               *  FATS & OILS   *

We have been made suspicious of foods containing fats or oils and been driven to thinking we should avoid cooking with them or adding them to our meals as if they were a kind of poison.

The truth is, we need a certain amount of "fat" in our diet. It's interesting to carefully read the following extract from a cookery book published in the 70"s used as a teaching aid in my GCE Domestic Science lessons :


                             FATS : Supply a concentrate source of energy as each gram
                             of fat supplies 9 kilocalories. Any fat that is not immediately
                             used for energy will be stored around the body. This provides
                             an insulating layer under the skin and protects the organs and
                             nerves. The fat soluble vitamins A and D are found in the fat-
                            containing foods.
                            Half the fat that we eat is derived from visible sources - margarine,
                            butter, vegetable oils and fatty meat. The other half is obtained as
                            part of of major foods - milk, cheese, eggs, fatty fish and baked
                            goods.

                             - from The New Art of Cooking
                                        published by the Stork Cookery Service


The three interesting facts that I extract now from this description are :

                           1 - Fats are a source of energy

                           2 - Stored fat protects our organs & nerves

                           3 - Fats & oils contain vital vitamins

                           4 - Meat & some fish were/are regarded as major sources of fat in the diet.


Since this book was written, diets have changed considerably. We buy a lot of our food rather than make it & therefore feel less in control of how much fat & oil our diets contain. Health officials worry and the Government and media amplify their concerns that there is an " obesity epidemic" which puts us in fear of eating in case we catch this disease ! As a result, many people seem to live their lives on a permanently restricted diet, either trying to reduce their weight or keep a strict control of it and seem to live in fear of hidden fats - not without some justification it seems.

Fats and oils are what makes our food "yummy". They give it body and satiate our hunger. If we eat a meal containing an appropriate amount of oil or fat, we feel full more quickly. We are therefore less likely to overeat.

Whilst we should be aware of the amount of fat and oil our diet contains, especially in shop-bought foods, we should also be aware that :

                           CERTAIN TYPES OF FAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO LIFE

If we try to severely limit fats & oils in our diet over a long period of time we risk seriously damage our health and brain function.