Dietary Fats

At first glance, understanding dietary fats can be overwhelming! After all, there's saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fat just to name a few. But because some kinds are better for you than others, it's important to understand the differences. You don't need to completely eliminate all fats from your meals when eating healthy. Instead, choose the healthier types of fats and enjoy them in moderation.

HEALTHY FATS

When choosing fats, your best options are unsaturated fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats, if used in place of others, can lower your risk of heart disease by reducing the total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in your blood.

One type of polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3s appear to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. They may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels.

Below are the best food sources of these healthy fats:

Monounsaturated Fat: Olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds

Polyunsaturated Fat: Vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, soy and cottonseed), nuts and seeds

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fatty, cold-water fish (such as salmon, mackerel and herring), flaxseeds, flax oil and walnuts

HARMFUL FATS

Saturated and trans fats (trans-fatty acids) are less-healthy kinds of fats. They can increase your risk of heart disease by increasing your total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol isn't technically a fat, but it's found in food derived from animal sources. Intake of dietary cholesterol increases blood cholesterol levels, but not as much as saturated and trans fats do, and not to the same degree in all people.

Below are common food sources of harmful fats:

Saturated Fat: Animal products (such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, lard and butter), and coconut, palm and other tropical oils

Trans Fat: Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, commercial baked goods (such as crackers, cookies and cakes), fried foods (such as doughnuts and french fries), shortening and margarine

Dietary Cholesterol: Animal products (such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, lard and butter)

TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE BEST TYPES OF FAT

Limit fat in your diet, but don't try to cut it out completely. Focus on reducing foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, and select more foods made with unsaturated fats. Consider these tips when making your choices:

* Saute with olive oil instead of butter
* Use olive oil in salad dressings and marinades
* Sprinkle slivered nuts or sunflower seeds on salads instead of bacon bits
* Snack on a small handful of nuts rather than potato chips or processed crackers
* Try peanut butter or other nut-butter spreads on celery, bananas, or apples
* Add slices of avocado, rather than cheese, to your sandwich
* Prepare fish such as salmon and mackerel, which contain monounsaturated and omega-3 fats, instead of meat one or two times a week

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have few adverse effects on blood cholesterol levels, but you still need to consume all fats in moderation. Eating large amounts of any fat adds excess calories. Also make sure that fatty foods don't replace more nutritious options, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes or whole grains.


Via: mayoclinic.com