LSC S2:Lipids

By the end of this chapter, you will be
able to:
(a) explain the functions of lipids.
(b) state the sources of lipids.
(c) manage the effects of lipid imbalances in\
the body.
(d) analyze the culinary characteristics of
lipids.

Keywords
fats
flash point
imbalances
oils
saturated fats
smoke point
unsaturated fats

Introduction
Questions

1. Do you remember what lipids are?
2. What elements make up lipids? In what state do lipids exist?
   In Senior One you learnt about nutrients and lipids. Just like carbohydrates, lipids also produce energy. Fats are solid at room temperature while oils are liquid at room temperature.
   Fats and oils are both referred to as lipids. Lipids contain more carbon, making them a more powerful source of energy than carbohydrates. You need fats to supply your body with energy.
   When you eat fats, your body utilizes it more slowly than other nutrients because its digestion is slow. This means that if you
   take a fatty diet, you take longer to feel hungry The lack of lipid in your diet would result into many other deficiencies since lipid is a carrier of fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K. It is very
   important for you to include lipids in your diet, but also very important to ensure that you prevent excessive intake of lipids in order to avoid imbalances. In this chapter, you will learn how to handle a healthy diet and
   utilize lipids to manage the effects of their imbalances in the body. You will understand the role of lipids in the diet and how their high energy content is useful. However, if you consume
   high amounts of lipids, it may result in obesity and other related

Sources of lipids
You can obtain lipids from animal and plant sources. Fat is also present as either visible or invisible fat. Visible fat is seen and easy to detect in food, for example, fat on meat, cooking fats and oils, margarine, butter and lard. Invisible fat is a part of the food and is not easily detected. For example, egg yolk, lean
meat, flesh of oily fish, nuts, pastry and fried foods. Fats are important in the diet as sources of energy, essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. Essential fatty acids are needed in the body but are not manufactured in the body and therefore, it has to be obtained from the food eaten.

Fats in your foods add flavour, texture and aroma. The smooth creamy texture of ice-cream is because of the fat just like the flavour and aroma of fatty meat being fried. Without lipids your diet would be very bland or tasteless. Over consumption of fats can lead to serious health risks.

Questions
1, Think of some lipid sources in your daily diet. How can they impact on your health?

2. Study Figure 1.1 carefully. Can you identify some of the sources shown below that you always use?

Categorizing lipids
Have you known about the saturated and unsaturated fats?
Which of them is healthier for your body and why?
What facts do you know about the current debate on saturated fat and unsaturated fat and the impact these have on health?
Lipids are either saturated or unsaturated. Oils contain mainly unsaturated fats and fats contain mainly saturated fats.

Activity 1.1
2.Categorising lipids
In groups, categories animal fats and plant fats.
Identify foods that contain visible and invisible fats.
Write them down and using collections from food magazines, cut and assemble the categories of fats on a manila.
In groups, share your findings with the class using PowerPoint slides, illustrations, flipcharts or chalkboard.

FUnctions of lipids
Lipids are a necessary part of a healthy diet varied and diverse.
The functions of lipids within the body are many. Have you ever
imagined how important lipids are in your body?
Activity 7.2
Discussing the functions of lipids In groups,

1. Discuss the functions of lipids in your body.
2. Write these on the manila/flipchart or notebook.
3. Present your findings to the class.
   Managing the effects of lipid imbalances in the body

Lipid imbalances occur when there is a change in the amount of lipids found in your body resulting from a health condition, disorder or disease. These lead to lower production of lipids or apid breakdown of lipids that inhibits normal bodily functioning.
People with high energy output may require large proportions of fat and also during cold weather or cold temperature. It is important that you get 20% of your energy foods in form of lipids. On the other hand, lipid imbalance could be due to increased intake of lipids in your diet. What do you think happens to the
body if it receives too much or too little lipids?
The effects of lipid imbalance; obesity and starvation

You should know that consuming lipids is dietary necessity. Fat is a major constituent in cell membrane, blood and body fluids. However, it is also important to understand that when you take in excess fats, they can be harmful to your health.

Determining the levels of fat and consumption in the local community
in groups,
1.Prepare to interview various people in your local community.
2. Construct a questionnaire about fats and oils or use the
one provided.
3. Interview various people in your local community using the questionnaire.
4. Share your findings and give one copy to the teacher for assessment.

Levels of fat consumption by an individual and community You can determine the level of fat consumption of an individual or community by designing a questionnaire. This is a list of
questions asked to a respondent to determine the foods they eat. You can find foods they ate in a period of 3 days. This can be used to approximate the fat intake of an individual. The fatty
foods they ate can then be identified using a questionnaire. If you find out that some people are consuming a lot of fats then you can plan suitable meals for them and carry out community
sensitisation.

Sample questionnaire for determining fat consumption
Dear respondent,

Food frequency questionnaire
How often do you eat the following fatty foods? (Tick (V) once
for each food item).

Discussing the likely effects of an imbalance of
Activity 7.4
lipids in the diet and how this can be managed
In groups,

1. Discuss the effects of taking in too much and too little of lipids in the diet and how this can be managed.
2. How would you manage the effects?
3. Present your work to the class using pictorial demonstrations.
   Characteristics of lipids
   Lipids behave differently when heat is applied and when alkali is added. Do you notice a difference in the taste of fried food and boiled food? Which one tastes better? What do you understand
   by smoke point and flash point of lipids?

Smoke point and flash point of oils

Activity 1.5
Studying the culinary characteristics of lipids
In groups,
1.Use the sample of fats and oils that you have been given and heat up the lipids to varying degrees (moderate, high and very high) and observe each sample.
2.Discuss the impact of melting, smoke point and flash point on lipids.
3.Describe the other characteristics of lipids.
4.Discuss the culinary uses of fats and oils.
5.Write your discussion on a flipchart or in the notebook.
6.Present your findings to the class.