Accordingly, the fat composition of which is so fatty is calories. The calorie content of fat is more than 770 calories for every hundred grams of this product. Such a figure can plunge into a real shock those who are trying to lose weight, keep their waist within acceptable limits, or just like to count calories. But these same calories are indispensable in case of serious energy expenditure of the body. Everyone who is engaged in jobs with high physical activity, athletes and tourists know how effectively lard helps to restore strength.
Interestingly, the calories of fat are “slow”, which determines their long-term release. As a result, for a very long time after a meal with a primordial Ukrainian delicacy, we will feel vigorous and strong.
It is also important that lard is the most readily available source of thermal energy. It is very useful to eat it in the cold in order to warm up very quickly. But when assimilating this product, a lot of liquid is released, for which you should also be prepared.
The chemical composition of fat contains many vitamins. Among them:
- vitamin A, which strengthens the immune system and vision;
- vitamin D, which protects children from rickets and is a raw material for the production of many hormones in the body. By the way, thanks to the presence of this vitamin in the composition of lard, you can safely replace fish oil, although useful, but extremely unloved by children;
- vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant and protects our tissues from the possibility of developing cancerous tumors.
But the most important components of the composition of fat from a physiological point of view are essential fatty acids. And not only because they are extremely necessary for the body. In the composition of fat, their number is so great that with its regular use, even in small quantities, we get our daily doses of these substances.
It is included in the chemical composition of lard and arachidonic acid, which is not found at all in vegetable oils. It is necessary for the normal functioning of the brain and endocrine system, kidneys and liver, participates in the transmission of nerve impulses and some metabolic processes. And although our body produces small amounts of it on its own, its presence in food is necessary. The beneficial properties of fat are precisely in the fact that it just provides this presence.
Lard and cholesterol
And one cannot fail to mention the component that is considered the most harmful in fat – cholesterol. Indeed, the content of cholesterol in fat is abundant. Less than eggs or butter, but still a lot. And precisely because of its presence in the composition of the product, the harm of fat is especially discussed: excess cholesterol, entering the bloodstream, forms insoluble plaques on the walls of blood vessels, leading to a deterioration in blood flow and, in especially critical cases, to blockage of blood vessels and the development of a stroke.
Even the beneficial properties of cholesterol succumb to such dangers: the formation of hormones from it and its participation in the formation of cell membranes.
Противопоказания
It is thanks to such a diverse composition and properties that fat has turned into a product that heals some, and is strictly contraindicated for others.
