The human body needs food, or rather an energy source to survive. There are a number of food components that are absolutely essential and must be taken in a certain quantity to ensure that the human body functions in a proper manner, these components are fats, proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins. Do not let people fool you, you need fats (yes, fats!) just as much as you need the other components.

Fact no 1: Contrary to what most of the diet-conscious people tell you, you absolutely need some fat in your life. Fat is one of the essential components of food, it is a type of energy that the body needs and utilizes for several functions. It is just as important as proteins and carbohydrates.

Fact no 2: In mere one gram of fat there are a total of 9 kilocalories! One gram of both carbohydrates and proteins has almost half the calories found in one gram of fat. They have approximately 4 kilocalories each.

Fact no 3: Most of the time when people are fat shaming others or themselves they tend to blame a diet with a huge fat content for this weight increase. This is incredibly wrong; weight loss is not the result of an increase in the fat content intake it can also be caused due to an increase in the intake of carbohydrates and proteins. While the quantity of fats needed is quite minute as compared to both proteins and carbohydrates, an abundance of all three of these can cause immense weight gain.

Fact no 4: Fats that are in a liquid state at room temperature are referred to as oils. Fats most specifically refer to those compounds that have high fatty acid content and are solid at room temperature. Collectively, fats in both solid and liquid states can be called Lipids.

Fact no 5: One of the main reasons that fat is important for out body is that it is a source of energy, the other reason why it is so important is that it supplies the body with vitamins like A,D,E and K that are extremely useful for the human body. These vitamins are only soluble in fats, this means that they require fats to be digested and absorbed in the human body.

Fact no 6: Fat is needed to ensure that the skin and hair are healthy. Fats accumulate and form a cushion around the vital organs of the human body. This cushion helps to prevent organs of the body from shock and ensure that the temperature of the body is well maintained and it also tends to promote proper cell functioning.

Fact no 7: Fats, in the form of oil are used while preparing food because they impart a delicious flavour to the food. Oils can also give food excellent texture.

Fact no 8: Saturated fats remain in solid state at room temperature. They are also most commonly referred to as natural fats and are extracted from animals and plants. Such fats are labelled as unhealthy fats because they are known to raise the cholesterol level of blood and in turn increase the risks of heart related diseases. Examples of such food, rich in saturated fats are meat, poultry skin and dairy products like butter, cheese, cream and milk. Take away and processed foods like pies, cakes and biscuits also contain saturated fats.

Fact no 9: Unsaturated fats are found in liquid state at room temperature and are most commonly found in vegetable oils. There are mainly two different types of such fats. One of them is polyunsaturated fats while the other one is monounsaturated fats. Such fats are essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This class of fats is known to lower the cholesterol level of the blood immensely, which in turn ensures that there is a reduced risk of individuals contracting any type of heart disease.

Fact no 10: Trans fats are the rarest forms of fats that are usually produced by processing of other varieties of fats. They are most commonly found in items such as baked items, fried food items and take away snacks.