Nutrition Quiz Fats Answers

Nutrition Quiz Fats Answers

Question #1. What are triglycerides?

Answer: Triglycerides are the fats in your food, the fats in your body, as well as the liquid fats, a/k/a “oils. ” They are made up of glycerol and fatty acids and are the main source of fat in your diet.

Question #2. Why do you need fat in your diet?

Answer: Fat provides flavor and satiety. Without it, many foods would lose their savor and you would find yourself hungry all of the time.

One of the advantages of eating a meal or snack with some fat in it is that it takes more time to get through your digestive system, which means you feel satisfied longer.

Aside from these gustatory advantages, fats, along with protein and carbs, provide energy, both at the time the fats are eaten and later when released from storage in your body.

While the fat is in storage under your skin, it keeps you warm and cushions your body from life’s bumps and shocks.

Fats also form an important part of the structure of cell membranes, facilitate the passage of hormones and certain vitamins in and out of the cells, and are part of the make-up of important compounds in the body such as bile acids and hormones.

Question #3. Do choosy moms choose Jif peanut butter?

Answer: This question refers to an old Jif peanut butter commercial where we were assured that “Choosy moms choose Jif!” The answer is that choosy moms choose peanut butter with just peanuts and salt that has not been hydrogenated.

Hydrogenation is a process in which hydrogen is added to an unsaturated fat, in this case peanut oil, to make it more stable, giving it a longer shelf life and a more pleasing texture.

Most peanut butters have been hydrogenated to make them more spreadable and able to be stored without refrigeration. So-called “old fashioned peanut butter” does not undergo this process, so it has a less creamy texture and should be stored in the refrigerator.

The problem with hydrogenation is that it results in a type of fat called “trans-fatty acids” or trans-fats. These are fatty acids that are arranged chemically in such a way that they act more like a saturated fat than an unsaturated fat and seem to have harmful effects on the body.

Another commonly hydrogenated food is margarine. Hydrogenated fats are often used in commercial baked products to increase their shelf life.

Question #4. How many calories are provided by one gram of dietary fat?

Answer: At 9 calories/gram, fat provides more than twice the calories of protein and carbs.

Question #5. What is a MUFA (pronounced moo-fa) and how does it figure in a healthy eating lifestyle?

Answer: A Mufa is a Mono-Unsaturated Fat, which is a type of fat composed mostly of fatty acid molecules that have only one double bond where hydrogen atoms could attach. “Mono” means one.

Recently, everyone from health experts to diet gurus have encouraged us to include more of the monounsaturated variety in our diets, since these fats tend to be more stable and less likely to become rancid like their polyunsaturated cousins, without some of the disadvantages of saturated fats.

Click here for a list of foods that are the best sources of MUFAS.

Bonus Question: Name the three members of the lipid (aka fat) family.

Answer: Fat is the popular name for the organic compounds that scientists generally refer to as “lipids,” and the three categories within the lipid family are triglycerides (fats and oils), sterols (like cholesterol) and phospholipids (such as lecithin).

What your score means

If you had 0-1 Correct Answers: The fat is in the fire! You definitely need to learn more about this much-maligned nutrient!

If you had 2-3 Correct Answers: Not too shabby! You know just enough to be dangerous, so keep learning and choosing good fats!

If you had 4-5 Correct Answers: Terrific! You know your fats and probably are eating a healthy diet!

If you had all 6 Correct Answers: Awesome! Are you a nutritionist or just incredibly well-informed on the subject?

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