Fats

Basic nutrition: fats
The bottom layer of the sports nutrition pyramid contains basic nutrition. These are common products that you can buy in any supermarket: vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts, fish, eggs, whole wheat bread, etc. These form the basis of healthy sports nutrition. In this blog, the focus is on products that contain fats. What are fats, where are they found and why are they important for you as an athlete?

What are fats?
There are different types of fats. The rough classification is saturated fats and unsaturated fats. This has to do with the structure as you can see in the second image. A molecule of fat consists of a 'backbone' called glycerol with 3 tails, the fatty acids. The top fatty acid is 'saturated' with hydrogen atoms (H). Each carbon atom (C) must always have 4 bonding points. In the bottom fatty acid you see that something strange happens: two of those carbon atoms are not saturated with hydrogen atoms, which creates a double bond between two C atoms. The fatty acid is now ‘unsaturated’ with hydrogen atoms. If this occurs at multiple points in the fatty acid, it is a polyunsaturated fatty acid. In the image you can also see a monounsaturated fatty acid. The length of the fatty acids varies from 4 C atoms to 22 C atoms.

Saturated fats are generally of animal origin. There are a number of exceptions to that rule. Cocoa fat, palm fat and coconut fat are vegetable sources of saturated fat. Saturated fat is associated with, among other things, a higher risk of cardiovascular disease when consumed in excess of 10% of the total amount of energy you eat in a day. Unsaturated fats are generally of vegetable origin but can also be found in fish. Unsaturated fats can be divided into monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. A number of polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, and alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) are essential. This means that your body does not produce these itself or produces them only to a limited extent and you should actually get them from your diet.

Where do fats come from?
Products that contain a lot of saturated fat are full-fat dairy products such as full-fat milk, full-fat yoghurt, ice cream, cooking cream and ice cream. Cheese also contains a high level of saturated fat. The same applies to (fatty) meat such as sausages, half-and-half minced meat and pork chops. Furthermore, savoury snacks, but also pastries, for example, are often rich in saturated fat. From a health perspective, it is also important for you as an athlete not to use these products excessively. There are also plenty of sources of unsaturated fats: nuts, kernels and seeds, avocado, fish and vegetable oils such as olive oil, corn germ oil, rice germ oil and peanut oil. In addition, low-fat margarines are a good source of unsaturated fats.

What is the function of fats?
Fats, like carbohydrates, have the function of providing energy. Fats provide more energy per gram than carbohydrates: 9 kcal per gram instead of the 4 kcal per gram of carbohydrates. The richer the food is in fat, the faster the total amount of energy increases. However, that does not mean that you should eliminate them if you want to reduce your body fat percentage, for example, because they perform many different important functions. In contrast to carbohydrates, your body can create an endless supply of fats. Even a slim person has a supply that he or she could theoretically survive on for a month in terms of energy.

During low-intensity efforts, fats are an important source of fuel. Your body then saves the carbohydrates for the final sprint, so to speak. Fats are a ‘slow’ source, carbohydrates a ‘fast’ source of energy. Together they (fats and carbohydrates) ensure that you have enough energy for longer efforts, but can also deliver an explosive effort (carbohydrates). Fats are not only an important source of fuel; they perform more functions. For example, fats are also a building block. They maintain the structure of the cells. In addition, they have a transport function (think of cholesterol) and fats ensure that the organs are protected.