| When most people think of fat in their diet, | | | | shortening is a saturated fat. Saturated |
| they immediately think BAD. We've been | | | | fats and trans fats are both dietary |
| conditioned to believe that all fat in the | | | | disasters. |
| diet is bad. This simply is not true. Fat is | | | | |
| an essential nutrient; what matters is what | | | | Trans fats are a manmade invention, and are a |
| kind of fat it is. Good fats can work | | | | good example of how sometimes people know |
| wonders; bad fats indeed will destroy your | | | | just enough to be dangerous. When it was |
| health. A no-fat diet is a disaster. Without | | | | first discovered back in the 50's that heart |
| any fat in the diet, your body would react in | | | | disease was caused in part by saturated fats, |
| a multitude of unhealthy ways, such as | | | | food scientists took to the lab and created |
| destroying your gall bladder and having your | | | | trans fats; this is when margarine was born. |
| hair fall out. So the healthiest strategy is | | | | Today, trans fats are in almost every |
| to minimize bad fats and go ahead and indulge | | | | processed food on the store shelves. |
| (in moderation) the good fats. Remember that | | | | Initially, they thought trans fats would be a |
| all fats, good and bad, contain lots of | | | | healthy alternative to saturated fats, but |
| calories, 9 calories per gram. The difference | | | | they were wrong. Most nutritionists today |
| lies in how heart-healthy the individual fats | | | | admit that trans fats are bad and might even |
| are. | | | | be worse than saturated. Trans fats are |
| | | | present whenever you see the phrase, |
| Good fats in your diet can actually help you | | | | "partially-hydrogenated." Food labeling laws |
| lose weight and avoid a whole range of | | | | do not yet mandate than trans fats be listed, |
| diseases including heart disease and cancer. | | | | so you have to read labels carefully. |
| Nutrition experts insist that if suddenly all | | | | |
| Americans were to switch from bad fats to | | | | Cholesterol is often considered a bad fat, |
| good fats, we'd see huge results and be much | | | | and it certainly is bad if it's clogging your |
| healthier. Unfortunately, the typical | | | | arteries. However, the cholesterol clogging |
| American diet is loaded with bad fats and | | | | your arteries primarily comes from eating |
| short on good fats. Bad fats do indeed wreck | | | | saturated and trans fats, not from eating |
| havoc with our health. It's the bad fats | | | | cholesterol laden foods like eggs. |
| which promote obesity, heart disease, cancer | | | | Cholesterol is made by the body and is |
| and other ailments. Bad fats are not needed | | | | actually considered an essential fat. The |
| by the body at all but good fats are | | | | food industry uses this confusion to their |
| essential. Every one of the six billion cells | | | | advantage. Many food products are labeled |
| in your body requires good fats to function | | | | "cholesterol free," yet they're loaded with |
| properly. | | | | saturated or trans fats so unsuspecting |
| | | | consumers think they're buying a |
| So which are the good fats and which are the | | | | heart-healthy food. WRONG. Although you |
| bad fats? Put in the most simple terms, | | | | don't want to eat a lot of cholesterol, what |
| saturated fats and trans fats are bad, | | | | you really want to avoid are saturated and |
| monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are | | | | trans fats. |
| good in varying degrees. | | | | |
| | | | Monounsaturated: (The healthiest type) |
| The term saturated refers to the molecular | | | | |
| composition of the fat molecule. A fat is | | | | Olive oil |
| saturated if the outer electron shell is full | | | | |
| (saturated) with electrons. The fat molecule | | | | Canola oil |
| also contains hydrogen atoms paired with | | | | |
| carbon atoms. If only one pair exists, it's a | | | | Peanut oil |
| monounsaturated. Polyunsaturated means there | | | | |
| are multiple bonds. But don't worry, you | | | | Avocado oil |
| don't have to understand molecular biology in | | | | |
| order to eat healthy! | | | | Almonds |
| | | | |
| In general, saturated (unhealthy) fats are | | | | Pecans |
| solid at room temperature. Think of butter. | | | | |
| It's as saturated as a fat can get and it | | | | Polyunsaturated fats: (Second healthiest |
| remains hard at room temperature. All | | | | type) |
| saturated fats are solid at room temperature. | | | | |
| Olive oil, which is a monounsaturated fat, is | | | | Corn oil |
| liquid at room temperature. Corn oil, a | | | | |
| polyunsaturated fat, is also liquid and room | | | | Safflower oil |
| temperature. In general, monounsaturated are | | | | |
| the healthiest fats and polyunsaturated fats | | | | Sesame seed oil |
| come in second. (See list below) | | | | |
| Monounsaturated are considered the healthiest | | | | Soy oil |
| because they help raise your "good" | | | | |
| cholesterol (HDL) and lower the "bad" | | | | Sunflower oil |
| cholesterol, (LDL). Polyunsaturated will help | | | | |
| lower overall cholesterol, but it lowers both | | | | You might have heard of the so-called |
| the good and the bad. | | | | "Mediterranean Diet," which is what folks in |
| | | | countries like Italy, Greece and Spain eat. A |
| All saturated fats and trans fats are bad. | | | | typical Mediterranean diet includes 30-40% |
| Saturated fats include any fat of beef | | | | fat but since most of the fat comes from |
| origin, like butter or beef fat (lard). Dairy | | | | olive oil, those countries have significantly |
| products originate with beef, so the fat in a | | | | less heart disease and obesity than the |
| dairy product is saturated. Any solid | | | | United States. |