Understanding cholesterol: fatty acids
Elise
Dietician
It is important to understand the difference between “good” and “bad” cholesterol, and the role of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in your diet. Elise, dietician, gives you some valuable advice for your daily diet to help you find a good balance on your plate.
Elise, dietician, gives you some valuable advice for your daily diet to help you find a good balance on your plate.
Understand cholesterol
Fatty Acids: What are they?
These two families are differentiated by their structure: the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. They don’t have the same impacts on your organism and can have positive or negative impacts if you consume them in excess. All the fatty acids are not equal: it is important to know the recommendations of their consumption to prevent your health.
Fatty acids on our plate
Fatty acids have their place in our diet, but in the right proportions. The fatty acids should not represent more than 35% to 40% of the caloric intake1 which means approximately 84 g of lipids per day for an adult.2 For the saturated fatty acids, it is recommended to limit them at 10% of your caloric daily intake,1 which means 22 g per day for an adult.2 You can quickly reach them in a day: it represents 15 g of margarine added to 30 g of Emmental and added to 30 g of salami.
In case of hypercholesterolemia, you should be more vigilant: it is recommended to limit the saturated fatty acids intake at 7% of your caloric daily intake1, which means approximately 15 g.2 As in the previous example, it corresponds to 10 g of margarine added to 20 g of Emmental and added to 15 g of salami.3
Manage your fatty acids
A: If you consume them in excess, they can lead to cardiovascular diseases and increase your level of cholesterol.1
As explained before, the saturated fatty acids must be limited. They can be found in coconut oil or fat, palm oil, fatty meat, cold meat or butter for example.3 Some are atherogenic and can be involved in clogging our arteries.4,5
The cholesterol is carried in the blood by lipoproteins. Imagine cholesterol being a passenger in a vehicle that travels in your blood. There are 2 major categories of vehicles.
The low-density lipoproteins (LDL) transport the “bad” cholesterol. High levels of “bad” cholesterol can sometimes cause heart disease or stroke.5
The high-density lipoproteins (HDL) transport the “good” cholesterol. These lipoproteins transport it to the liver, which plays a role in the lipids metabolism. High levels of “good” cholesterol lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases.5
One way to control our cholesterol is to replace the saturated fatty acids because they increase the level of LDL cholesterol.1
To improve and prevent damage to your health, it is important to replace saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fatty acids.
You can replace meat and dairy products with vegetable sources of fats and unsaturated fatty acids to decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases.1 As we know, vegetable fats contain more unsaturated fatty acids than animal fats (eg, cold cuts, red meat), that are dominant in saturated fatty acids.3 But no worries, you can consume animal fats: it is all a question of proportions. However, there are exceptions: coconut and palm oil contain many saturated fatty acids and fatty fishes contain many unsaturated fatty acids.3
Among these unsaturated fatty acids, the essential fatty acids play a role in your health.
The importance of essential fatty acids
I am sure that you have already heard ever heard about essential fatty acids. They are unsaturated fatty acids that must be provided by the diet, as they cannot be produced by your body. Do you know the families of essential fatty acids?
There are 2 major categories:
Omega-3
Omega-6
If you consume 2 to 4 g of Omega-3 per day, it may help decrease your “bad” cholesterol levels.1
The ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 should also be taken into account: it may have impacts on cardiovascular diseases. It is recommended to consume more Omega-6 than Omega-3.
It is important to pay attention to your diet and select food that contains Omega-3 and Omega-6. To increase your levels of these essential fatty acids, it best to opt for vegetal oils, as grape seed, sunflower, walnut, linseed and rapeseed oil, instead of solid fats as butter, palm oil and coconut fat or oil. You can also consume marine products, such as fatty fishes and algae, which also contain essential fatty acids.3 However, some solids fats are good for health: indeed, they are enriched with Omega-3 and Omega-6, like some margarines for example.
A handful of walnuts added to 15g of rapeseed oil can provide an adult with all his or her daily Omega-3 nutritional requirements.3 For the Omega-6, grape seeds, sunflower and walnut oils are foods to select.3
Now you know all about fatty acids and you know how to choose them to improve your health. Other resources are available on the site to support you on a daily basis towards a diet adapted to your profile (recipes, weekly plans, etc.). Don’t hesitate to consult them!
15 food to avoid and their alternatives
Sauce / Seasoning
Pastry / Viennese pastries
Savory fried food
Dips
Dairy
Appetizer
Plant-based alternative to meat
Pizza
Sandwich / hamburger / bagel
Chocolate
Energy bar
Vegetable fats
Cheese spread
Pastry dough
Culinary aid
