Fat intake for vegetarians

You may think that vegetarians consume less fat in general than meat eaters, but this may not be the case.

A common myth with vegetarianism is that a vegetarian diet contains less fat. Some who believe this are attracted to the diet as an attempt to lose weight. However, this is not always the case. Vegetarians often eat nuts, seeds, avocado and soy foods that are all high in fat. Many cook with vegetable oil as well, which is high in fat. Some vegetarians eat dairy foods also. Those who eat a lot of dairy foods will consume too much saturated fat. Nevertheless, vegetarian diets are actually more often than not considerably lower in saturated fats than a conventional diet.

Our bodies do need certain fats in our diets. We need the good kind of fat.

The main kinds of fat are:

Saturated Fat - This kind of fat comes mostly from animals, and becomes solid at room temperature. It can also come from coconut or palm oil.

(Neat trick: If you want to find out if the oil you use for cooking contains saturated fat, place some of the oil in a clear container and put it in the refrigerator. If it becomes cloudy, it contains saturated fat. The more cloudy it becomes, the more saturated fat it has. If it stays clear, the oil has no saturated fat in it.)

Transfatty Acids - These are created when vegetable oil is processed into margarine. They act like saturated fats in the body.

Monounsaturated Fat - This is found in olive oil.

Polyunsaturated Fat - This is found in safflower, sunflower, canola oil, etc.

The main purpose of fat is to provide energy for the body. It also absorbs vitamins A, D, E, and K from what you consume. Fatty acids generate chemicals that are essential for the immune system and blood clotting. The fortunate part is that the body actually generates most of the fats that it needs. There are only two polyunsaturated fats that the body cannot produce, but are critical in our diets.

The fats our bodies cannot create on its own (essential fatty acids):

Alpha-linoleic acid - This fat is from the omega six family. It is found in fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains. It can also be found in corn, evening primrose, safflower and sunflower oils.

Linoleic acid - This fat is from the omega three family. It is found in green leafy vegetables, soy beans, walnuts and grains. It can also be found in canola or soy oil.

The fat-like matter, cholesterol can only be found in animal products. Vegetarians consume far less cholesterol than meat eaters. Vegans, who avoid all and any animal products are fortunate to avoid cholesterol. In general, vegetarians devour the equivalent amount of alpha-linoleic acid, but more linoleic acid than meat eaters. On the whole, the fat ingestion of vegetarians is a great deal healthier than the fat intake of meat eaters.

Foods that contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids:

Oat Germ

Wheat Germ

Kale

Broccoli

Other Green Leafy Vegetables

Legumes

Peas

Berries

Soy Milk

Medium or Firm Tofu

Soybeans

Flaxseeds

Walnuts

Soy Oil

Walnut Oil

Flaxseed Oil

Canola Oil

© Demand Media 2011