Improving Health with a Diet Rich in Healthy Fats; Deciphering between Healthy Fats and Unhealthy Fats

By Drew on 29th July, 2009

Fit Healthy Fats into your Diet and Enjoy the Benefits

Finding Healthy Fats doesn’t have to be a Struggle

Most foods contain different kinds of fat, but how do you tell the difference between these when there are so many variations? There are healthy and unhealthy fats, but which one is which? Unhealthy fats include saturated, trans and hydrogenated fats. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your diet so that no more than 7% of your daily fat intake will be composed of saturated fat, and no more than 1% will come from trans fats.

These saturated fats generally maintain a solid form at room temperature. Saturated fats mainly come from animal sources such as: beef, veal, butter, poultry fat, beef fat, lamb, lard, pork, butter, cheeses, cream, milk and other dairy products made from whole or 2 percent milk. However, there are also plant sources including palm kernel oil, palm oil and coconut oil (often called tropical oils), and cocoa butter. Trans fats and hydrogenated fats can mainly be found in processed foods. Despite the fact that most packages these days claim to have ‘no trans fats’, the companies are only obligated to report the transfat content if it is over .5 gram per serving. Serving sizes are tricky enough without this little curveball thrown in, so you still need to scrutinize your food if you wish to avoid trans fat in your diet altogether.

Deciphering Healthy Fats

Now for the healthy fats. There are monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Healthy fats are essential for many reasons, including: brain function (higher memory retention, improved moods and improved learning ability); lower blood cholesterol levels; and slowing down the digestive process long enough for us to retain the nutrients in the foods we eat. Fat-soluble vitamins (including A, D, E, and K) can only be absorbed if fat is present. Did you know that 60% of our heart’s energy comes from burning fats? Some of these fats help keep the heart beating in a regular rhythm. That seems like a rather important function, if you think about it.

Adding Monosaturated Fats and Polysaturated Fats

Monounsaturated fats can be found in: canola oil, peanut oil and olive oil. Other good sources of this type of fat are avocados; nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans; and seeds such as pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Polyunsaturated fats can be found in: oil from sunflower, corn, soybean and flaxseed; and also, foods such as walnuts, flax seeds and fish.

Salmon is a Powerful Source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Which Foods Boast the Most Omega 3 Fatty Acids?

Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in: fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies or sardines, or some cold-water fish oil supplements. Canned (albacore) tuna and lake trout may also be good sources of Omega-3, depending on the way the fish were raised and processed. Flax seeds and flax seed oil, walnuts, canola oil, and soybeans round out the list of other sources for Omega-3 fatty acids. There are three different types of Omega-3 fatty acids. ALA (a-Linolenic acid - this comes primarily from vegetable oils), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid — this comes from fatty fish) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid — this comes from fish oils). Our bodies can synthesize EPA and DHA from ALA, but not the other way around so it is important to at least have the ALA to work with.

Prevent Cancer, Improve Memory, and Live Healthy with Omega 3’s

There are so many benefits from Omega-3’s in the prevention of cancer to fetal development and nerve function that it has become absolutely crucial to our health from a biological standpoint. This is why you will see different foods, such as baby food and formula or even dog food, boasting about having DHA included. Brain function improvements are always a welcome addition to our diets, and even the diets of our pets. Since our fat intake shouldn’t be more than 30% of our diet it’s important to choose the right fats that comprise that 30%.