Fat Intro, food sources, structure and importance of fat instructor slides Winter 2025

Page 1: Fat: Where Do I Find it?

• Introduction to high-fat foods.

Page 2: Examples of High-Fat Foods

• Vegetables & Fruits:

  • Avocado

  • Coconut

• Grain Products:

  • Onion rings

  • French fries

  • Doughnuts

  • Cookies

  • Muffins

  • Cake

  • Brownies

• Milk & Alternatives:

  • Cheese

  • Homogenized (whole) milk

• Meat & Alternatives:

  • Bacon

  • Proscuitto

  • Sausages

  • Regular ground beef

  • Fatty (marbled) steaks

• Other:

  • Butter

  • Margarine

  • Oil

  • Salad dressing

  • Mayonnaise

  • Potato chips

  • Fudge

Page 3: Are Potatoes a High-Fat Food?

• Fat Content per Serving:

  • Baked Potato – Plain: [grams of fat data not provided]

  • Baked Potato with Butter: [grams of fat data not provided]

  • Baked Potato with Butter and Sour Cream: [grams of fat data not provided]

  • Mashed, with Milk & Butter: [grams of fat data not provided]

  • French Fries: [grams of fat data not provided]

  • Hash Browns: [grams of fat data not provided]

Page 4: What is Fat?

• Most Important Form in Food/Nutrition: Triglyceride (TG)

• Fatty Acid Components:

  1. Chain length:

     • Short chain fatty acids (2-4 carbon)

     • Medium chain fatty acids (6-12 carbon)

     • Long chain fatty acids (14-22 carbon)

  2. Degree of Saturation:

     • Saturated fat: "full" of Hydrogen (H)

     • Major components of fat intake.

Page 5: Formation of a Triglyceride (TG)

• Composition of triglycerides involves:

  • 3 fatty acids + Glycerol

• Triglyceride structure:

  • H-C-Carbon chain-C-OH (hydrocarbon chains)

  • Hydrolysis releases 3 water (H₂O) molecules during formation.

Page 6: Types of Fatty Acids

• Saturated Fatty Acid: Example - Palmitic acid (18:0)

• Monounsaturated Fatty Acid: Example - Oleic acid (18:1 ω-9)

• Fatty Acid Structure:

  • Carbon backbone with hydrogen atoms attached.

Page 7: More Types of Fatty Acids

• Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids:

  • Omega-6: Example - Linoleic acid (18:2 ω-6)

  • Omega-3: Example - Alpha-linolenic acid (18:3 ω-3)

Page 8: Summary of Fatty Acid Types

• Types of fatty acids classified by the first double bond location.

• Examples:

  • Omega-6 (e.g., Linoleic acid)

  • Omega-3 (e.g., Alpha-linolenic acid)

Page 9: Fatty Acid Composition of Fats & Oils

• Fatty acid compositions:

  • Olive oil, Canola oil, etc.

  • Fat Category Breakdown:

    • Saturated, Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated, Trans unsaturated.

Page 10: Comparison of Dietary Fats and Oils

• Comparison of different oils:

  • Olive oil, Flaxseed oil, and their respective fatty acid profiles regarding Saturated, Omega-6, Omega-3, Monounsaturated fats.

Page 11: Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency: Symptoms

• Deficiencies of:

  • Linoleic acid

  • Alpha-linolenic acid

• Symptoms include:

  • Scaly dermatitis

  • Excess loss of water through skin.

Page 12: Role of Fat in the Diet

• Functions of Dietary Fat:

  1. Source of calories (energy)

  2. Provides essential fatty acids.

  3. Carries fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K).

  4. Impacts palatability and "mouthfeel" of food.

Page 13: Role of Fat in the Body

• Functions Include:

  1. Insulation

  2. Protection for skeleton and vital organs

  3. Energy reserve: stored energy during food scarcity

  4. Precursor for biomolecules (eicosanoids, phospholipids, bile acids)

  5. Synthesis of steroid hormones (e.g., estrogen, testosterone).

Page 14: Phospholipids

• Structure of phospholipids:

  • Composed of:

    • Base, Phosphate group, Fatty acid, Glycerol

  • Significance for cell membranes and their properties in an aqueous environment.

Page 15: Cholesterol & Related Compounds

• Cholesterol and derivatives:

  • Chemical structure and functions

  • Sex Hormones (e.g., Testosterone and Estradiol)

  • Bile acids and their variants.