In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. [1] The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple esters of glycerol), that are the main components of vegetable oils and of fatty tissue in animals; [2] or, even more narrowly, to triglycerides that are ... Examples include whole-fat dairy, dark chocolate and unprocessed meats.

Understanding the Context

And while unsaturated — what some people call “good” — fats are beneficial and you need them, you can still have too much of a good thing. It also has medium-chain triglycerides that can be used to burn fat. Fat can be important for people, but too much fat is bad. The fat people eat can provide energy for them.

Key Insights

Not all fatty foods are good for health, such as pizza, french fries, and hamburgers. The fat from those may cause the person become fatter, and their health may become ... A fat is any substance of plant or animal origin that is nonvolatile, insoluble in water, and oily or greasy to the touch. Together with oils, fats comprise one of the three principal classes of foodstuffs, the others being proteins and carbohydrates. BHF Senior Dietitian, Dell Standford, explains how much fat you should eat, the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, and which fatty foods and oils are healthy.

Final Thoughts

Switching from a diet high in saturated animal fats to one rich in plant-based unsaturated fats affects the fat composition in the blood, which in turn influences long-term disease risk. A recent ...