A sedentary person needs 20 to 25 millilitres (ml) of oil per person or four to five teaspoons a day. (Express Archive)With Prime Minister Narendra Modi fronting a nationwide anti-obesity campaign and asking every Indian to cut down oil consumption by 10 per cent, the focus has naturally shifted to healthy oils or good fats, or unsaturated fats. Research has found that including them in your diet can improve cholesterol, decrease inflammation, stabilise heart rhythms and help you manage weight. In fact, these are of two types, monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). But how should they be consumed?“Remember good fats are fat too and you cannot overload your body with them and pile up calories that will still be stored as fat. The human body should get 25 to 30 per cent of the total calories it needs from fat, with saturated fats not exceeding 5 per cent of total calories and MUFA and PUFA not more than 10 per cent each. In fact MUFA and PUFA should always be in a 1:1 ratio,” says Ritika Samaddar, regional head, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Max Healthcare.How much oil is good for a person on a daily basis?A sedentary person needs 20 to 25 millilitres (ml) of oil per person or four to five teaspoons a day. This means the person needs 750 to 900 ml in 30 days. This is quite doable. In fact, considering there are hidden fats in processed and ultra-processed foods, one has to bring consumption down to half a litre or 500 ml a month. Let’s simplify this even further and say that nobody is allowed beyond four to five teaspoons of noticeable fat per day.Which is better, MUFA or PUFA?Both are good in their own ways and differ only in their molecular make-up. Monounsaturated fats have only one carbon-to-carbon double bond in their molecular structure. They help lower bad (low density lipoprotein or LDL) cholesterol levels and maintain the overall health of cells. MUFA works better for heart health and controlling diabetes but their sources are very limited.Polyunsaturated fats have more than one carbon-to carbon double bond. Much like monounsaturated fats, they too help lower LDL but play an additional role in building cell membranes and blood clotting. Your body can’t make polyunsaturated fats, so you have to get them from food. There are two main types of polyunsaturated fats, Omega-3 and Omega-6, both of which are needed for brain function and cell growth.What are sources of MUFA and PUFA?MUFA is available in olive, rice bran, sunflower, safflower, soybean and mustard oils besides avocados, nuts and seeds.Story continues below this adPUFA is found in fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines and tuna, seeds, including flaxseeds and chia, walnuts and algae like seaweed and spirulina.What’s the best way to keep to your daily fat allowance?Practise moderation and portion control by measuring out oil before use. Don’t go beyond a fistful of nuts. Include different types of healthy fats. Don’t overload a single meal with high-fat foods; spread them through the day. Read food labels. Grill, bake, poach or steam food over frying or roasting. Measure oil with a teaspoon to control the amount you use, or use an oil spray.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Obesity