What Are the "Good" Fats And What Are the "Bad" Fats?

Eating Healthy With Fats and Oils?

Not too long ago, common thought was that all fats were bad and should be limited in the diet.
The “low-fat craze” swept the nation, and for a while, it seemed to be a smart way to eat. Now the pendulum has swung the other way, with new research revealing the importance of consuming “good” fats.

Fats have been corralled into categories, depending on what they do to your health. There are “good” fats that are vital to overall good health, “bad” fats that have health benefits but can contribute to the buildup of plaque in arteries, and “very bad” fats that one should never consume for any reason.

New information about fats is coming out every day and it’s easy to get confused about how to apply this new information to your daily diet.

Some people, who have spent years eating “fat free”, need a little convincing that adding fats to their diet is a good idea. Hearing for years how excess fat intake leads to all kinds of diseases, is hard propaganda is clear from the mind.

What are Unsaturated Fats and Why Should They Be in My Diet?

Unsaturated fats come in two forms: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Both types of these fats have good effects on overall cholesterol levels.
Monounsaturated fats help lower LDL (BAD) cholesterol while also increasing HDL (GOOD) cholesterol.
Monounsaturated fats are more stable than polyunsaturated fats and tend to be more reliable in lowering bad cholesterol. These are the fats you want to make sure you are getting in your diet.

Polyunsaturated fats should also be used in the diet because they have some benefits that cannot be obtained from the mono fats. They are often good sources of omega-3 fatty acids and are found in cold water fish, nuts, oils and seeds. Since omega 3 oil cannot be manufactured by our bodies it is “essential” that we obtain it in our diets. Omega-3 oils are thought to lower blood pressure, combat LDL cholesterol, fight inflammation, and protect the brain and nervous system.

What Cooking Oils Should I Use?

Cooking oils are mostly unsaturated fats. Each cooking oil varies in its ratio of mono to poly unsaturated fat. There are two oils that are stars of the cooking world and stand out for their high ratio of monounsaturated fats: olive oil and canola oil. The health benefits of olive oil are very well documented by extensive research. Be careful not to let olive oil brown or burn. You can eat it raw in a salad or use it as cooking oil. It can even be substituted for butter in some recopies.

Why are Saturated Fats Bad and Do They Have Any Value in the Diet?
Saturated fats are the ones known to clog arteries and are found in abundance in meat and dairy products. These fats are solid at room temperature.

Saturated fats have been clinically shown to raise total and LDL (BAD) cholesterol levels. People have been advised to avoid them as much as possible. There have been recent conflicting reports that fail to find a link between saturated fat intake and increased risk of coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, in a 2010 study, replacing saturated fats with an equal amount of polyunsaturated fats did reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 19 percent.

So, indulging in a little saturated fat from time to time may not be all that bad for someone whose diet is already healthy and balanced. An Advisory Committee for the 2010 United States Dietary Guidelines admits that the jury is still out on saturated fats and that one should limit their intake of these fats to no more than 7 percent of daily calorie intake.

It is now recognized that refined carbohydrate intake is just as responsible for the obesity epidemic and other associated health problems as saturated fat intake.

What are Trans Fats and Why are they The Worst?

The “really bad” fats are now known to most of us as trans fats. They are also known as partially-hydrogenated oils. Trans fats are created using a hydrogenation process, in which liquid vegetable oils are artificially converted into solid fats. Trans-fats are the worst fats because they not only raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, they also tend to lower HDL ( Good) cholesterol. Beware of trans fats in packaged foods and “junk” foods.

Look for the name “partially hydrogenated” on the food label and stay clear of it. Fortunately, trans fats are now required to be listed on packaged food ingredients. Consumers tend to be aware of trans fats in french fries, and other fried foods, but they tend to be unaware of how many cakes, doughnuts and snack foods are still replete with these bad fats.

With the pressure on many restaurants and fast food chains to switch to healthy fats for frying and other ingredients, it should only be a matter of time before consumer demand and education forces trans fats to be banned for public consumption.

What are some Foods I can add to my diet to increase my healthy fat content?

Olive oil:
Olive oil has a tremendously good track record as an extremely healthy food. It should be used for cooking and even in recepies calling for butter or saturated fat. It can be eaten in salad dressing and even used on the skin as moisturizer. Having been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years, the benefits of olive oil to human health are countless.

Nuts and Seeds:
Almonds are low in saturated fat and high in mono unsaturated fat. They are high in protein and can be eaten as a snack, on salads, in almond butter on bread (to replace peanut butter).
Other nuts to enjoy in moderation daily include walnuts and pistachios. Both are high in good fats and provide omega 3 oils. Walnuts are especially good for brain health. Eat as a snack or garnish for veggies and salads.
Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds are all sources of good fat and make excellent additions to dishes or eaten as roasted and salted snacks.

Fish:
The most famous and best fish for getting good omega-3 fatty acids is wild- caught Pacific /Alaskan salmon.
It is more expensive than farm-raised salmon, or Atlantic salmon, but it has been shown to be less contaminated by pollutants and harvested responsibly. Eat plenty of this fish without worry about mercury levels or environmental impact. Other good choices for fish include farm raised rainbow trout and tilapia from US waters.

Avocados/avocado oil:
Avocados contain “oleic acid”, a monounsaturated fat that can actually help lower cholesterol! So the net cholesterol consumption from avocado is greatly reduced by its other good fats.
Avocados are especially high in very important nutrients such as folic acid, potassium, and carotenoid lutein. Eat these fruits in season in moderation on summer salads. Guacamole as an accompaniment to a Mexican meal or as a dip for chips are perfect ways to get the benefits of avocado. They can also be eaten with a squeeze of lime spooned right from the skin.

When fresh avocados are not available during the winter months, you can get the benefits of avocado by using avocado oil in cooking and as a vegetable dressing. The light sweet flavor avocado oil imparts to food makes getting good fats truly a pleasure!

Coconut oil:
Coconut oil has been researched and found to be rich in many different fatty acids essential for health. Although it contains saturated fatty acids, adding some to your diet should prove beneficial in moderation.
Coconut oil is rich in Lauric acid which is converted by the body into monolaurin. Monolaurin has been shown to help the body’s immune defense against even the most deadly viruses. It also contains capric and caprylic acids which have anti-fungal properties. Like olive oil it has been used extensively in traditional medicine for hundreds of years.
When cooking with coconut oil, a little goes a long way. Be sure not to let it smoke. Keep an eye on what you are cooking with coconut oil so it does not burn. Coconut oil imparts a rich, exotic, satisfying flavor and texture to food. It can be used in baked goods as a substitute for butter. With its health benefits and delicious taste, coconut oil should always be on hand in your kitchen!

As our knowledge of fats in our food increases, we are making adjustments in our diets to incorporate this exciting new information. Now we have much more choice about the fats and oils we eat. These foods add richness to our diet, a feeling of satisfaction from eating, and satisfy our need for variety. As long as fats are enjoyed in moderation with a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, there is no need to think of fats as off-limits anymore!

For more information about good fats and the foods in this article please visit:
http://www.floridahealth.com/index.php#avocado-nutrition
http://www.detroithealth.com/index.php#omega-3-and-the-brain
http://www.alabamahealth.com/healthy-living.php#safest-fish-to-eat