Guide to Fats

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Published on Friday, 14 December 2012 19:48

Written by Mehmet Edip

Fats: the good the bad and the down right ugly

How many times do you see people in the supermarket staring at food labels and get stuck when it come to the breakdown of fats? Help is at hand as I will explain what fats are good and bad for you.

There are four major types of fats:

- monounsaturated fats
- polyunsaturated fats
- saturated fats
- trans fats

GOOD FATS

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as the “good fats” because they are good for your heart, your cholesterol, and your overall health

Monounsaturated fat come from sources such as:

Olive oil
Canola oil
Sunflower oil
Peanut oil
Sesame oil
Avocados
Olives
Nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)
Peanut butter

Polyunsaturated fat:

Soybean oil
Corn oil
Safflower oil
Walnuts
Sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds
Flaxseed
Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines)
Soymilk
Tofu

BAD FATS

Saturated fats and trans fats are known as the “bad fats” because they increase your risk of disease and elevate cholesterol.

Appearance-wise, saturated fats and trans fats tend to be solid at room temperature (think of butter or traditional stick margarine), while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tend to be liquid (think of olive or corn oil).

Saturated fat comes from sources such as:

Beef, lamb, pork
Chicken with the skin
Whole-fat dairy products (milk and cream)
Butter
Cheese
Ice cream
Palm and coconut oil
Lard

Trans fat comes from sources such as:

pastries, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pizza dough
Packaged snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn, chips)
Stick margarine
Vegetable shortening
Fried foods
Various Chocolate and sweets

WHAT TO DO?

It is best to eliminate trans fats from your diet. Check food labels for trans fats and limit your intake of saturated fats by cutting back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods. Try replacing red meat with beans, nuts, poultry, and fish whenever possible, and switching from whole milk and other full-fat dairy foods to lower fat versions.

Eat omega-3 fats every day. Good sources include fish, walnuts, ground flax seeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, and soybean oil.

Omega-3 fatty acids are the super-fats for the brain and heart.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat. While all types of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, omega-3 fats are proving to be especially beneficial.

The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are that they:

- Prevent and reduce the symptoms of depression
- Protect against memory loss and dementia
- Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer
- Ease arthritis, joint pain, and inflammatory skin conditions
- Support a healthy pregnancy

So to sum up, next time you are there looking at food labels in the supermarket keep away from saturated and trans fats and stick to polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats.

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