quality vs. quantity!

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Many of us see fats and oils as the main culprit in weight gain leading to obesity.

1 Many of us see fats and oils as the main culprit in weight gain leading to obesity. The first thought that crosses our minds when we want to improve our diet is to reduce our fat consumption. We tend to be more liberal with the quantity of fat we give children, but pay scant attention to the type of fat. This article aims to dispel the popular myth that Fats are bad for health and stresses that equal attention, if not more, should be given to the type of fat we use rather than just the amount of fat quality vs. quantity! 36

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID SOURCES All of us need fat Fat gives us double the calories per gram (9 kcal/gm) compared to proteins or carbohydrates, making it the highest source of energy.

2 OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID SOURCES All of us need fat Fat gives us double the calories per gram (9 kcal/gm) compared to proteins or carbohydrates, making it the highest source of energy. Fat is therefore very important for young children as it can increase the energy density of a small meal. The body has the ability to make the fat it needs, except for two types which have to be necessarily obtained from the foods we eat. These fats are not surprisingly called essential fatty acids, or more commonly omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These fats act as base material and help the body make longer chain omega 3 fatty acids like DHA, required for cardiovascular health. Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are important for healthy eyesight, skin, and bone development in children. As the name suggests, these need fat to be absorbed in the body, and a lowfat diet can result in intake gaps or deficiency of these vitamins. Lastly, fat provides our food with the texture, flavour and taste that all of us and especially children enjoy! Essential fatty acids (omega 3 and omega 6) help in normal cell functioning and keep body cells flexible so nutrients and waste can be transported in and out of the cell. favourably influence cholesterol levels (increasingly a problem among urban Indian children and teens). Fat Family Tree Good Fats Bad Fats PUFA poly-unsatured fatty acids MUFA mono-unsatured fatty acids TFA trans fatty acids SAFA satured fatty acids Omega-6 Omega-3 short chain DHA Long chain omega 3 37

Know the fats It is important to understand the types of fats and their sources. Some fats are harmful for health, some not so bad and some are actually good for health!

3 Know the fats It is important to understand the types of fats and their sources. Some fats are harmful for health, some not so bad and some are actually good for health! Fats are classified into good or bad depending on how they affect our cholesterol levels, both good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). We should maintain healthy cholesterol levels right from a young age. As a population Indians are predisposed to heart diseases, and with changing lifestyles and the lack of physical activity even in children, we are now dealing with many of these conditions at a much younger age. We have 11-year-olds with adultonset diabetes and many teens dealing with cholesterol issues! Bad fats: Saturated fat and trans fat increase the bad cholesterol in the body. Saturated fat is present in dairy products like full fat milk, butter, cheese, ghee, paneer, red meats (mutton, beef, pork and organ meats), and tropical oils like coconut and palm. Milk is essential for children, so switch to double-toned/low fat milk or skim the fat in regular milk. While a small spoon of ghee will do no harm, using ghee liberally is an over kill. Butter, cheese and paneer are hot favourites among children. Although the amount of fat in a serving of butter (10 g) and cheese (1 slice) are the same, cheese is a lesser evil as it is also a good source of protein and calcium. Low fat paneer made at home using low fat milk is a healthier alternative to regular paneer. Margarines made from plant oils have less bad fat compared to butter, but do check the nutrition facts of the margarine you buy for your family. Trans fat is the uglier of the two as it not only increases the bad cholesterol but also decreases the good cholesterol! They are formed when vegetable oils are industrially hardened to give a fat which has a texture similar to butter. In India, this is popularly known as vanaspati, used as a cheaper substitute for ghee. Though the use of vanaspati has decreased in urban homes because of increased awareness, these fats are still very popular and used extensively in the bakery and fast food industries as they have a long shelf life and stability for baking and repeated frying. Products from local bakeries such as biscuits and pastries, street foods, fried snacks and fast foods are usually high in this ugly fat. Hence, reduce your child s consumption of these foods, and try to make fried snacks and short eats at home to control the oil/ fat intake. Good Fats: Good fats have a favourable impact on cholesterol level. The two types of good fats are mono (MUFA) and poly (PUFA) unsaturated fats. Both help to decrease the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body. There is an ongoing debate in the science courtrooms on which one is better, but there has been no final consensus yet. Mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) are in the news after many studies have shown that the dietary habits of people in Spain, Greece, Italy and other Mediterranean countries appear to make them less prone to heart disease. Popularly known as the Mediterranean diet, its principal aspects include high consumption of olive oil, legumes, fruits, vegetables and fish; moderate consumption of dairy products and wine; and low consumption of meat and meat products. So it is important to understand that olive oil alone cannot do the trick you need the whole diet! Many companies in India advocate olive oil but some of our home-grown oils like ground nut, sesame and rice bran are equally good sources of MUFA. Rice bran oil especially is good for frying as it provides better heat stability. Products from local bakeries such as biscuits and pastries, street foods, fried snacks and fast foods are usually high on trans fat. 38

4 Poly unsaturated fats (PUFA) cannot be made by the body and hence must be obtained from the diet. The important ones, as mentioned earlier, are omega 6 and omega 3. Many studies have shown that replacing refined carbohydrates and saturated fat with PUFA improves the cholesterol profile and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases in adults. The main sources of omega 6 are vegetable oils (sunflower, soyabean) and nuts like almond. Omega 3 can be found in mustard, canola and soyabean oils, walnuts, flax seeds, dark green vegetables, and oily fish like mackerel, salmon, sardines and fresh tuna. Table 1: Know more about oils (Numbers given for 1 tsp = 4.5 g) Butter Sunflower oil Corn Oil Olive oil Oil SAFA (g) MUFA (g) Poly Omega 6 (g) Poly Omega 3 (g)- Short chain Table 1 depicts the fatty acid composition of a few common oils. It is clear that no single source of oil can provide only good fats, since all oils have saturated, monoand poly-unsaturated fats. Hence choose oils with a higher proportion of good fats. We also recommend a combination of oils for example, ground nut or sesame with soyabean or canola to create hearthealthy oils that also promote optimal growth and development in children. Ground Nut oil Sesame oil Rice Bran oil Soya bean oil Mustard oil Canola Oily fish like mackerel (bangda in Hindi, aiyla in Malayalam and kaanangalathi in Tamil) are cheaper and healthier than the more popular ones like seer or pomfret; however, the flipside is that these varieties have many small bones that children may choke on. So teach them how to eat these oily fish right from a young age so they gain the benefits! Recommended Energy Distribution Carbohydrates 55% Protein 15% Fat 30% Good fat 2/3 Bad fat 1/3 39

Canola oil is produced from rape seed or field mustard. The oil was first derived from rape seed at a university in Canada and has less of the pungent compound (erucic acid) found in mustard oil.

5 Canola oil is produced from rape seed or field mustard. The oil was first derived from rape seed at a university in Canada and has less of the pungent compound (erucic acid) found in mustard oil. The name CANOLA was coined from Canadian Oil Low Acid, and given to avoid the negative connotations of rape! So, if your family is not used to the pungency of mustard oil, canola oil can be an ideal choice to increase omega 3. So.. how much Fat? Now that we have an understanding of the types of fats, let us see how much of these children need. The World Health Organization recommends that a balanced diet should provide 30% of energy intake from fat, 55% from carbohydrates and 15% from protein. For example, a 10 or 11-year-old moderately active boy requires around 2000 kcal per day which means he requires 600 calories from fat, or about 65 g (12-13 tsp of oil) of fat to meet his daily requirements (1 gm of fat = 9 kcal). Of this, at least 2/3 rds should be from good fats (400 calories). It is important to include nuts like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, oilseeds like sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, fish and leafy vegetables to increase the essential fatty acid intake in Indian children. Sheela Krishnaswamy, a leading nutritionist and wellness consultant Visible vs. Invisible Fat An important fact to remember is that fat can be visible (oils, butter, cream in milk), or invisible as present in cereals, nuts, fruits and vegetables. So, even if you do not any add fat/oil in your cooking, your family will still get some fat! A good thumb rule to follow is to ensure that no more than 60% of fat should be from visible fat. (So, in the example of the 11-year-old boy quoted above, he should not get more than 40 gms (8 teaspoons) as visible fat). You can improve the visible fat component by making more snacks at home, restricting fast foods, switching to low fat milk, and using the right combination of oils for cooking. Keep in mind, too, that girls older than 12 require less fat in their diets. Are some fats lacking in children s diets? A few studies on fatty acid intake done in the country indicate that while the intake of omega 6 is probably sufficient, there is an unsatisfactory intake of omega 3. Sheela Krishnaswamy, a leading nutritionist and wellness consultant in Bangalore says, It is important to include nuts like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, oilseeds like sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, fish and leafy vegetables to increase the essential fatty acid intake in Indian children. She suggests replacing plain butter with peanut butter or tahini (paste made with sesame seeds, popular in Middle Eastern cuisines), using almonds and walnuts in cereals, milkshakes and desserts, making rolls and sandwiches with grilled fish and greens as fillings, to enhance the fatty acid intake in children. The country s expert panel (Indian Council of Medical Research) recently revised the fat recommendation for Indians, with special mention given to long chain fatty acids. While the body can make long chain omega 3 fatty acids (DHA) from the base material of short chain omega 3 (found in walnuts, soya bean, flax seeds), the conversion is slow and varies considerably from person to person. To ensure that the body has 40

6 adequate long chain omega 3, children and adults should consume oily fish twice a week. Vegetarians should use mustard or canola oil for cooking and include nuts like walnuts, roasted flaxseeds in cereals, salads, homemade cakes and bread. Check with your doctor/dieticians about using DHA supplements as it might be difficult to meet requirements solely from a vegetarian diet. Tips to remember! The amount of fat is important, but so is the type. All fats are not bad; good fats such as MUFA and PUFA help the body maintain healthy cholesterol levels. What you see is not the only fat in your diet account for invisible fat as well. Pay attention to the type of fat you give children make simple changes like switching from butter to peanut butter, adding walnuts to their cereals etc. Stay away from a low fat diet with calories mainly from refined carbohydrates, which add to the glucose load and get converted to fat in the body. Know the fatty acid profile of oils it is easy to switch to a healthier oil and you will be doing a favour to both the young and old hearts at home! Use a combination of oils, for example groundnut with Canola, rice bran or sesame with soyabean. Read the nutrition labels of packaged foods you buy to check the fat amounts and type (See An Apple a Day in ParentEdge Issue 9 (November-December 2012)). Include plenty of whole grain, fruits and vegetables in your child s diet and encourage active play! 41

WHY DO WE NEED FAT? It is now known that Omega-3 and Omega- 6 polyunsaturated fats, or good fats, are particularly good for heart health.

WHY DO WE NEED FAT? It is now known that Omega-3 and Omega- 6 polyunsaturated fats, or good fats, are particularly good for heart health. KNOW YOUR FATS WHY DO WE NEED FAT? Fat can contribute positively to our diet, as long as we choose the right types of fats and moderate our intake to the appropriate amounts. Fat has many valuable functions