Clearly, though, consumers are interested in obtaining this information. Understanding the terms used to discuss fat is crucial if you want to make sure your diet is within recommended guidelines. Fats and Fatty Acids Fats are a group of chemical compounds that contain fatty acids. Energy is stored in the body mostly in the form of fat. Fat is needed in the diet to supply essential fatty acids, substances essential for growth but not produced by the body itself.
All fatty acids are molecules composed mostly of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
A saturated fatty acid has the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms attached to every carbon atom. Some fatty acids are missing one pair of hydrogen atoms in the middle of the molecule. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids are mostly found in foods of plant origin and some seafood's. These are byproducts of partial hydrogenation, a process in which some of the missing hydrogen atoms are put back into polyunsaturated fats. Both fat and cholesterol belong to a larger family of chemical compounds called lipids.