Can someone explain saturated fats to me ?

[Ellarose23]

So I had an eating disorder when I was 16 (anorexia) and lost alot of weight , I’m 22 now but recovered from the fear of gaining weight , I’ve always been underweight but I’ve been told I need to eat more fat etc , nhs says 20g a day of saturated fat but I’m being told to follow a high fat diet , most of the time the saturated fat is a bit high too and multiple meals and snacks a day it adds up to way more than 20g, and I always hear how bad it is for your heart / cholesterol I think? Can someone advise ? Can’t get a hold of my dietician . Sorry for all the annoying threads 🤣🤣

You will get a mix of answers as conventional wisdom is that fat, particularly saturated or animal fat is the worst thing ever. This is certainly true of processed fat or trans fat but more recent science might not agree.

Naturally derived fat is essential nutrition and contains important fatty acids. If you are that worried about it stick to so called 'healthy' fat. Nuts, avocado, olive oil eggs, yoghurt, fish etc.

The thing is, if you are eating fat in order to gain weight you might find this difficult as fat is highly filling and satiating. Eating natural sources of carb/sugar will be digested faster and trigger hunger faster. Lots of good ways to do this without including processed food if that is a concern. Fruit smoothies with yogurt, rice dishes like paella, potato is very nutritious and versatile. Chocolate has all kinds of health benefits.

Yeah I eat eggs and use extra virgin olive oil and stuff , but because I had a bar of chocolate that was high in saturated fat it didn’t leave me much more fat to eat and I still need dinner and more snacks ! But thank you!

What exactly did the Dr say? To eat at least 20g or only eat up to 20g? And why? To gain weight, to have better nutrition?

Most people eat well over that I would imagine. I eat a diet high in fat personally as I believe it's healthy. Plenty of red meat, natural oils, dark chocolate, cheese, mayo etc.

If you've been told to eat more fat, presumably that's because you need to gain weight? In which case, why are you trying to abide by the NHS guidance, as that won't be about gaining weight!

There's no issue with saturated fat. And if you combine it with carbohydrate, that will help you to gain weight.

No off the nhs website it says under 20g a day .. I was just told by dietician to eat more fats aswell , I’ve been trying to gain weight for years I don’t gain I just maintain but I’m underweight, no matter how much I eat

Meanwhile

im not? I’ve been following, it just makes no sense cause saturated fat is bad according to the British heart foundation and for your cholesterol??

If you are underweight then you don’t need to worry about eating too much fat for this period of time.

I’m wary of advising someone with eating disorders, but- Enjoy foods which contain fat because your doctor has told you to eat more fat.

Foods I like which have healthy fats-
nuts, avocado, , salmon, peanut butter, eggs, peanut butter.
Foods with fat- cream, cheese, fattier cuts of meat.
Foods with fats and carbs- icecream, chocolate, cheese on toast. Buttery bread and potatoes…

But don’t stop at the magic number- that’s a number for other people, not for you. It’s based on generalised advice for average people. You have tailored advice for you that over rides it.

Read the piece I linked to @Ellarose23 - the link with heart disease is now disputed.

Quite, this is exactly what I was getting at but was trying not to start a fat Vs carbs Vs calories fight that these often dissolve into.

Op there is no link between fat and heart disease. Cholesterol in food doesn't cause cholesterol in you. Unfortunately lots of conventional medical advice hasn't caught up to this so this is why there's not a lot of consensus. Organisations like diabetes charities and medical support are starting to see that and are moving away from the 'fat bad' and are even recommending high fat, low carb diets as an option to lose weight and reverse diabetes.

In other words don't be afraid of fat. It's not just good for you but essential nutrition. The guideline amounts are set out for a world where most of us are overweight, not underweight.

https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/video/end-ed-dr-leanne-barron

This was posted on another thread op. I have noted down what I learned from the video, which explains why saturated fat is fundamental for the body. How the body uses cholesterol to create:

• hormones (there are a lot more hormones than the ones I would think about eg oxytocin and insulin are hormones). Hormones are used for a large range of functions and created all over the body.
• bile salts (these break down fat, aid digestion and assist the body to absorb vitamins)
• cell membranes (these protect cells and allow useful substances to pass into the cells and harmful ones to not)
• nerve sheaths (the tissues that cover and protect the nerves)
• Vitamin D (protects against some cancers, MS, diabetes, depression and promotes metabolism of calcium for healthy teeth and bones).

Further into the video, we learn we additionally need K2 to metabolise calcium and vitamin D (K2 is found in butter, Brie and Gouda).

The video also explains that some people may need to eat a diet moderate in saturated fat (ie follow the guidelines) but that this should not apply to the general population including examples of why following low fat diets can be detrimental.