Why is oils in the food guide pyramid?
The most commonly accepted for requirement of oils in the average diet is that from 15-30 % of the diet should be derived from fat calories. Fats, ,preferably un- or mono-saturated fats, are required for the body to maintain the cellular integrity of the cell walls. These walls are comprised of phospholipids, and a lack of adequate fats would affect everything from skin appearance to underproduction of cholesterol, needed by the body for vessel walls and sex hormone production. Oils from plant sources (with the exception of cottonseed, coconut or palm kernel oils, being highly saturated) are preferred over that derived from animal sources.
