Fat in Greenland - Too little and too much, Danish Environmental Protection Agency

Greenland

Fat in Greenland - Too little and too much

Fat is essential in people's diet. Marine mammals contain the best mixture of fat. The traditional food in Greenland is generally far healthier - from a fat point of view - than many imported food products.

In West Greenland, beluga whales are hunted as they migrate along the coast. The kill is then brought up onto the beach. After flensing, the "mattaq", which consists of the skin and 1-2 cm of blubber, is peeled off and eaten, mainly raw, together with airdried meat. The innards are also gathered, and the liver is regarded as particularly tasty. However, mainly full-time hunters and the elderly enjoy the liver raw. The mood is euphoric and the smiles go from ear to ear because now the freezer is full of "our food" again. The mattaq, which is also called "white gold" fetches a high price. It is sold in nearby towns and settlements, although only when the hunters have enough of the important "winter medicine" themselves.

The head of the beluga whale is kept for special, festive occasions, where it used as a decorative delicacy - first enjoy the sight of it, and then the taste of it.

When there is locally caught game, it is eaten with great gusto and in great quantities.

If there is no catch, people have to supplement what they have with what the local shop can offer. The selection of Greenland game in the shop is extremely limited and sometimes non-existent, so then people turn to a more western diet. Particularly children and young people eat an astonishing amount of biscuits, cakes, and fast food.

That is how Per Møller describes the mixed diet he experienced in Saqqaq on the Nussuaq peninsula.

However, this chapter is about fat, which is the subject in which Per Møller has specialised. What is the difference between fat from seals and whales and fat from the biscuits and cakes etc. bought in a shop?

Fat is essential

Our bodies need fat to grow and function properly. Fat is many things, and different types of fat have different and often vital functions.

Fatty tissue is a concentrated energy store, but at the same time it is a wonderful insulating material and shock absorber, protecting our internal organs against blows and dehydration. The main component is fatty acids, which are important in several ways - they keep the cell membrane supple, and transport and nutrients and waste products to and from the cell. They also participate in the production of hormones and signal substances. Our bodily functions, our sight, and all our other senses depend on them.

Seal or biscuits

"The fat in crisps, biscuits and cakes consists almost only of saturated fats," says Per Møller. "Industrially modified fat in the form of hardened vegetable fat - better known as trans fatty acids - is often added. Saturated fats are an excellent source of energy but play no essential role apart from that. As in the case of trans fatty acids, eating too much saturated fat increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases."

In seals and whales, up to 15% of the fat is saturated fat, while the remaining approx. 85% is unsaturated fat, with mono-unsaturated fat as the predominant form. Unsaturated fat is of great physiological importance, and some of it is even vital. Since we humans are not very good at making this type of fat ourselves - and are in fact in some cases completely unable to do so - it is very important that it be added through our diet. Polyunsaturated fat has the opposite effect to saturated fat - it reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Within the polyunsaturated fatty acids, the two groups omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n6) are often mentioned, and n-3 is of particular importance. The ratio between the two groups (n-6/n-3) is also believed to be important. The optimum ratio is thought to be 1:1. For comparison, the ratio in Denmark is 10:1 or even 20:1, while in Greenland it is around 1:1.

From a health point of view it is the unsaturated fatty acids we should focus on.

Too much and too little

Fatty foods increase the risk of overweight. When our food contains more fat than we burn, the fat is transported directly from the intestine to the fat depots, where it accumulates. Obesity increases the risk of complications and can make it more difficult to become pregnant. Although fat is blamed for a lot of things, we cannot live without it, and it can be difficult to eat enough if fat constitutes less than 20% of the energy in our diet. The low-energy constituents simply take up too much room in the stomach. In these conditions it can also be difficult to get enough of the vital fatty acids and the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) that the fat transports with it.

We can thus also eat too little fat. Too much unsaturated fat is not good for us either, since in extreme cases it is thought to cause spontaneous cerebral haemorrhage.

In brief, we have long looked at the negative effects of fat, but are now realising the positive functions fat has in our bodies.

Important advice on fat is therefore:

20-30% of your total energy intake should be in the form of fat.
Eat food from the sea often – and preferably different kinds.
Your total energy intake should not include more than 10% saturated fat.
Make sure that as much as possible of the fat you eat is unsaturated fat (5-10% polyunsaturated, 10-15% monounsaturated).
Eat less crisps, biscuits, and cakes containing "hardened vegetable fat" (max. 2%).