There is a lot of talk about fat. Most people know that it is bad for your heart and some people even know that it increases your risk for certain diseases like diabetes and certain types of cancer. But, the question is, what is the real truth about dietary fats?
There is a great deal of information and varying and sometimes inflammatory information about fats. It all gets rather confusing, so let me try to clear things up.
Truth about D fats:
From all sources all the way to the pro and cons Child abusing partial truth comes to the conclusion that there are two major types of fats, the unsaturated fats and the saturated fats. The reason for the distinction is because saturated fats have a tendency to raise the “bad” cholesterol or LDL levels in the blood, and there is some evidence that this may increase the risk for heart attack.
Healthy eating guidelines say that total fat in the diet should be no more than 30 percent of the total calories. The 30 percent is broken down into ten percent of saturated and trans fats and seventy percent of monounsaturated fats. Since some fats are an important source of vitamins A, D and E, it is important to get just the right amount of these fats in the diet. Many doctors recommend that the limit for these fats be no more than 10 percent of the daily calorie intake.
It is best to look at the individual food labels to determine how much fat is in a dish. You will usually see the total fat listed under total fat. You can also determine the number of grams of saturated fat by adding a zero to the number. For example, if a dish has 10 grams of saturated fat, the food probably has about 5 grams of saturated fat. Trans fat is another kind of fat and these foods usually appear with a zero on the label. Trans fats are known to raise the “bad” cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk for heart disease. These are the fats you need to be watching.
These types of facts about fats are useless if you don’t know the difference between good fats and bad fats. If you know the difference, it is possible to use this information to help you make choices about which foods to eat and which choices to make.
Good fats are available in fatty fish, such as salmon (arctic salmon has high levels of omega 3 fats and is also an excellent source of protein) and tuna (tuna is a great source of omega 3 fats). Nuts, seeds and avocados are also high in healthy fats. Vegetables high in omega 3 like squash and spinach also have health benefits of their own that you should consider.
Bad fats are the commercial vegetable oils; hydrogenated oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, etc. Other oils include lard, tropical oils and margarine. Most margarines have high levels of hydrogenated oils.
Any oil you use in cooking or for the body’s cosmetics should be made up of either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats as the medium chain triglycerides, omega 3 and omega 6 are important for skin health and because they are burned in metabolism producing energy. Most canola oils, soybean oils and canola butter contain monounsaturated fats. Vegetable oils and omega 3 eggs have polyunsaturated fats.
There is no daily recommended value for saturated fat; however, it is usually less than 10 percent of daily calories. Unsaturated fats should be chosen to balance the diet with olive oil being the least preferred.
Trans fats are materials that are created by subjecting liquid oils to hydrogen gas in a low temperature, expelling the hydrogen and installing a membrane between the two. Hydrogenated oils have been found to raise bad cholesterol (LDL), and there is some evidence that this type of fat leads to coronary artery disease. Trans fats are also found in commercially packaged foods. Just a few margarines, chips, cookies and snack foods have been identified that have high levels of trans fats.
There are alternatives to commercial baked products. Food prepared with natural ingredients can be baked, frosted, rolled, made into pies, cut into slices, and cooked in traditional manners. Traditional food does not use hydrogenated oils, and if food products do use them, they are listed as partially hydrogenated.
