If you have, you probably produced a beautiful cake with the tenderness of a wet sponge. Without fat or modifying the recipe to work without fat, baked products are not very edible. Our problem with encouraging Americans to eat less fat is partly the result of an unwillingness to change. Without imaginative cooking methods, the foods simply don't taste as good. Here are some facts about the consequences of too much fat in the diet, and some tips on how to modify your diet to be healthier, yet still enjoyable.
Most dietary fat is from a group of chemical compounds called the triglycerides.
The name describes the appearance of the chemical. In the middle, triglycerides have a backbone called a glyceride. Extending from three places on the glyceride are long chemical compounds called fatty acids. The fatty acids are arranged opposite from each other so that the triglyceride looks vaguely like a tuning fork. The fatty acids may be any combination of saturated or unsaturated.