Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

268 ALICE CALLAHAN, PHD, HEATHER LEONARD, MED, RDN, AND TAMBERLY POWELL, MS, RDN
Figure 5.12. The structures of a saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat. Note the
differences in points of unsaturation (C=C double bonds) on some of the fatty acids.
Triglycerides in food contain a mixture of saturated, monounsaturated, and
polyunsaturated fatty acids, but some foods are better sources of these types of fatty
acids than others (Figure 5.13). For example, coconut oil is very high in saturated fat, but
it still contains some monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Peanut oil is often
thought of as a good source of monounsaturated fat, because that is the predominant fatty
acid in the oil, but peanut oil also contains a fair amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids and
even some saturated fatty acids.