Triglyceride Guide

By:   Chris teeor.

1.  TRIGLYCERIDES:

It is one of the three major class of dietary Lipids.  Lipids can be classified as any water soluble fat, oil or fat-like substance extractable  by solvents such as alcohol.   Fat,  in our daily food, contains  (1) visible  i.e, that which is easily seen  and  (2) Non-visible  i.e, that whcih cannot be readily seen.  Visible fats are  fats and oils  such as butter, ghee, , coconut oil, mustard oil, sunflower oil, hydrogenated  oil substances such as margarine  etc.  Non-visible fats are fats and oils that are contained in colourful pasteries, avocados, processed-foods, nuts  etc.  There is a general feeling  that fats are bad for our health and wellbeing,.  The assumption is very wrong.  Lipids are, in fact, very eassential, and must be part of  your dailly food  in order for you to be healthy and strong.   Lipids are very necessary  as they work as a source of  energy fuel .  It is a very essential component  of every cell membrane in our  body.    You know there are trillions of cells in our body!

                            LIPID – FAMILY

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                            TRIGLYCERIDES                PHOSPOLIPIDS                STEROLS

Triglycerides can broadly be  catagorized as an ester i.e., a chemical compound  obtained by acid  –  alcohol interaction.,   It, generally, contains three fataty acids ( Tri  =  three ) attached to a molecule of Glycerol.  What is glycerol?  It is nothing but  a small water soluble carbohydrate.  In chemical terms it can be defined as  an organic alcohol  made up of  a  three carbon chains each of which is tied with an alcohol group.

                            THREE  FATTY ACIDS            +        GLYCEROL           =            TRIGLYCERIDE

About 90 to 95% of  the fats  in the foods that we eat  as well as those which remain in our body already are said  to be Triglycerides.    In actual fact, Triglycerides are considered to be  a form of storage of  food-energy that we eat in EXCESS of our bodily needs,.  Your Liver is a chemical facytory.  Triglycerides are manufactured in the Liver using carbohydrates as raw material.   Carbohydrates as well as triglycerides help in churning  out energy for metabolic activities of the body.  Whatever  Triglycerides that    we find in our food  are split in our digestive-tract  into  Fatty Acids and monoglycerides.   Whenever you eat more carbohydrates  than is required for your bodily needs  -  the present  day life  is fast-phased  and people find no time for cooking their own food,  no choice but to indulge in fast -foods,  such as pizza, hamburgers, pasta, sweets and cakes, breads, ready to eat food items  etc,   -   they are converted into triglycerides  and then into Fatty acids and stored as fat.