Fats are an essential part of any healthy diet, including the diet of athletes and active people: we should consume them in the right proportions and skilfully combine them with other products. Remember that the body sends us signals when fatty acids are missing from the diet – and they are very clear!
Bad and good fat in the diet
Fats, or fatty acids, can be divided into several subgroups. Each has different effects on the body and functions. The proper proportion of fats in the diet also depends on this division. What group of fatty acids a particular fat falls into assigns it to what is commonly known as the “bad” or “good” fat group.
In the group of “good sources of fats”, that athletes should not avoid, you will find:
- olive oil,
- nuts,
- seeds,
- flaxseed oil,
- rapeseed oil,
- avocado,
- oily sea fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines),
- olives.
The group of “bad fats” that you’d better limit can include unfavourable sources of saturated acids or even trans fatty acids that are harmful in excess:
- coconut oil,
- butter,
- fatty cheeses and fatty dairy products,
- confectionery products,
- chocolate,
- sweets,
- ice cream.
However, this is only a simplification. Almost all fatty acids should appear in an athlete’s healthy diet. However, it is crucial to maintain the right balance between the two. Typically, there is an excess of saturated fatty acids in the diet, and a lack of monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids. Trans fatty acids should be kept to a minimum, as they have no positive function.
Division of fatty acids with examples of sources
- Saturated fatty acids: milk, butter, dairy, meat, coconut oil.
- Unsaturated fatty acids.
- Monounsaturated fatty acids: olive oil, avocados, almonds.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3: oily sea fish, flaxseed oil, walnuts, omega-6: most vegetable oils, seeds and nuts).
- Trans fatty acids: confectionery, margarines.
Why are fats important in an athlete’s diet?
The era of promoting extremely low-fat diets is (thankfully) over. Most people are aware that fat is not the enemy of nutrition and is also needed in the body. Given the special requirements of an athlete’s diet, fats fulfil many important functions:
- They create an environment for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, K and some non-polar antioxidants.
- They have an anti-inflammatory effect, if eaten in the right proportions.
- They are precursors to many hormones, including those needed to build muscle tissue.
- They ensure proper functioning of the nervous system (especially omega-3 acids), accelerating thinking, reflexes and decision-making abilities. This is extremely important in many disciplines.
- They support the functioning of the immune system and can prevent infections and exclusion from training.
- They ensure good functioning of the circulatory system and the throughput of blood vessels.
- They support vision and visual function.
- They protect the nervous system and the brain from damage (they are omega 3 acids), which is important, for example, in people who practice combat sports.
What type of fat is appropriate for what persons?
For physically active people and athletes, diets that derive energy mainly from carbohydrates are most often recommended. However, extreme low-fat diets are not recommended, it is all about the quality of fat in the diet. The optimal fat content in the diet of a physically active person is 20-35 percent. The exact value depends on:
- The type of sport played: runners need more carbohydrates than players of more static sports like darts or snooker.
- Preparation period: during the peak of the sports season, it is better to opt for a higher proportion of carbohydrates and a lower (20-25 percent) proportion of fat. After the sports competition season, diets richer in fat (30-35 percent) can be used.
- Gender: active women should never choose a diet below 25 percent of fat, as it can lead to menstrual disorders. Many women will find the optimum fat supply around 30 percent.
Essential fat in every diet – the most important fatty acids
The most important fats are called essential fatty acids (EFAs). Necessarily, they must be supplied to the body from food, they cannot be synthesized in any way. It is important to focus on providing them.
Linoleic acid (LA)
Linoleic acid (LA) is a fatty acid from the omega-6 group.
It is found widely in food, such as oils, seeds, grains and nut butters.
The daily demand for this acid is about 4 percent of energy. Its deficiencies are very rare, because it is widespread in food. You do not need to monitor its consumption.
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is an acid from the omega-3 group.
You can find it mainly in: flaxseed, flaxseed oil, and partially in walnuts and rapeseed oil.
It is not as common, so deficiencies are more frequent. The daily demand for ALA is about 0.5 percent of total dietary energy, min. 2 g. The easiest way to meet this demand is to eat freshly ground flaxseed on a daily basis (10-25 g).
EPA and DHA acids
Sometimes the EFA group also includes EPA and DHA fatty acids, the only sources of which in the diet may be oily fish and special algae. The body is able to make EPA and DHA from ALA acid, but only if you eat enough of it, and the process is not very efficient anyway. So it’s better to supply EPA and DHA externally, by eating 2 servings of oily sea fish per week, or by drinking cod liver oil, for example.
9 signs that your diet lacks good fats
Not sure if you are eating enough healthy fat? Here are 9 symptoms that may indicate this:
- You often get sick and have weak immunity.
- You have lost your periods or have a dysregulated menstrual cycle.
- You find it hard to focus and have problems with memory and concentration, so called brain fog.
- You are losing weight, although this is not at all your goal.
- You have poor lipidogram (cholesterol and its derivatives) results, such as high cholesterol, low HDL, high LDL.
- Your skin is exceptionally dry.
- You have an exacerbation of psoriasis, AD or another autoimmune disease.
- You are experiencing intense hair loss.
- You often feel hungry for no apparent reason.
Do you know how much fat you are eating?
Fat in many products and meals can even be “hidden”. When eating high-carbohydrate foods, it’s easy to take in a lot of fat without really knowing it. Examples include typical Italian dishes: pasta and pizza. Do they seem like carbohydrate bombs to you? True, pure pasta and pure pizza dough are mainly carbohydrates. Sauces, additions and cheeses that are eaten along with these carbohydrates turn the dishes into high-fat products. 50% of the calories from pizza are actually fat. Pasta with lots of pesto or carbonara is no different.
Here are some tips on how to approach fat in the diet of an athlete and any physically active person:
- Choose low-fat dairy: light mozzarella, 1.5% milk, skyr yoghurts. Saturated fatty acids, which dairy products provide, are usually found in excess. You will easily “save” calories this way, without affecting the quality of your diet.
- Always add a source of fat to your salad, but not in excess. Vitamins and antioxidants only need a few grams of fat to be absorbed. Sprinkling sunflower seeds or nuts on the salad, for example, is sufficient.
- Where possible, replace the source of saturated fatty acids with unsaturated ones, or simply speaking: the healthier ones. Use pastes and hummus instead of butter for sandwiches and olive oil instead of coconut oil for frying.
- Use all sources of omega 3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory effects. Eat oily sea fish (such as salmon or mackerel) twice a week, use freshly ground flaxseed and cold flaxseed oil.
- Place fat in your diet evenly throughout the day, and avoid eating one fatty meal.