Healthy Eating for Kids | Types of Fats | Why Does your Body Need Fats | What is Fat? | Healthy Fats

Welcome to Learning More Yummy! Time for a delicious lunch James, what are you eating? A burger with fries and a strawberry milkshake Sounds yummy, but it is not very healthy at all It is not that bad, is it? Well, it is quite bad It's full of fat and sugar Fat and sugar? Yes, they are the two elements of food that can damage your body But I don't understand You have to eat to stay in shape Of course, but there is a difference between eating whatever you like and being healthy So what exactly is the problem with eating food with fat in it? Well, first of all, let me say that you do need fat in your diet Fat from your diet gives you energy Fat in food helps you feel full, so you don't eat too much But some fats are better for your body than others Some are actually good for your health Here are three major types Unsaturated fat These are found in plant foods and fish These fats are good for heart health Especially when they are used in place of saturated and trans fats Unsaturated fats are found in salmon, avocados, olives and walnuts And vegetable oils like soybean, corn, canola and olive oil Saturated fats These fats are found in meat and other animal products such as butter and cheese Saturated fats are also in palm and coconut oils Eating too much saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the chance of getting heart disease Trans fats These fats are found in stick margarine Trans fats are also found in certain foods that you buy at the store or get in a restaurant Such as snack food, cookies and cakes and fried foods When you see hydrogenated oils on an ingredient list, the food contains trans fats Trans fats are also listed on the food label Like saturated fats, trans fats can raise cholesterol and increase the chance of getting heart disease I didn't know all of that And you said some of these fats raise cholesterol What actually is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy substance in your bloodstream and cells that your body needs to function Some cholesterol is important for good health but too much can hurt your body, your brain and your heart It can slowly build up inside the walls of your arteries that feed blood to your heart and brain It combines with other substances in your blood to form plaque Like on your teeth? Yes, this thick hard deposit can narrow the arteries making them less flexible and put you at major risk for heart disease and stroke Now, that does sound serious Heart disease, that's also called cardiovascular disease, isn't it? Yes James, that is the medical term You've been reading those science books Yes, I read that it mainly affects older people and means that there are problems with the heart and blood vessels Exactly, and a stroke is very dangerous too A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, happens when blood flow to the brain stops, even for a second Blood carries oxygen and other important substances to the body's cells and organs, including the brain If the arteries get blocked, this means the blood can't flow properly So Aaron, if all this fat is causing the problem, what can we do to stop it damaging our body? We have to remember to treat our bodies with care, even when we are kids and teenagers Be sure to eat healthy, exercise and maintain a healthy weight And very important, don't smoke What does eating healthy actually mean? It means eating a good balance of five different food groups The five food groups are Dairy The foods in this group are excellent sources of calcium, which is essential for strong and healthy bones Not many other foods in our diet contain as much calcium as these foods Fruit Fruit provides vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre that help your body stay healthy Grain Cereal foods Always choose a whole grain or high fibre variety of bread, cereals, rice, pastas, noodles, etc Refined grain products such as cake or biscuits can be high in added sugar, fat and sodium Lean meat Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds Our bodies use the protein we eat to make specialised chemicals such as haemoglobin and adrenaline Protein also builds, maintains and repairs the tissue in our bodies Vegetables and legumes Vegetables should make up a large part of your daily food intake And should be encouraged at every meal, including snack times They provide vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and nutrients present in plants To help your body stay healthy Makes perfect sense, so it is ok to eat some fat Yes James, as long as you don't eat fatty foods all the time So what about this milkshake? It's made of milk Hmm, and lots of sugar, but that is for another day Time for me to go and get some milk I know, maybe I will share with you and then we can have a piece of fruit each after Good idea James I'm starving and having a treat now and again is perfectly fine See you soon