Phat Facts on Good Fat and Bad Fat
You are what you eat. Get the phat facts on good fat and bad fat, saturated fats, unsaturated fats, and trans fats, including what to add, omit, or moderate. It sounds confusing and quite honestly it is confusing for most of us. Add in a polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, fatty acids, ALA, DHA, and EPA just to confuse the the average person even more. The purpose of this post is to simplify the confusion with of dietary fat.
Most of the fats we eat are triglycerides. That’s just a big name for the molecular structure of three fatty acids and a substance called glycerol. High levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream have been linked to heart disease. There are four types of fatty acids (fats): polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, saturated and trans fatty acids.
Good Fats
The first two fats are unsaturated. You will find them in a liquid state at room temperature. These are the good fats. They are found in olives, avacados, almonds, peanut butter, most nuts, corn, soybeans, fish and few other food sources. Increasing polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats in your diet can lead to improved cholesterol and heart health.
Good fats decrease the level of lipoprotein (LDL), also known as the bad cholesterol and raise the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol. Bad fats on the other hand, increase the levels of LDL in the body and lower HDL. Bad fats include saturated and trans fatty acids. Trans fats also increase triglycerides.
Bad Fats
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. They are found in dairy products such as whole milk, butter and cream as well as red meat, chocolate and coconuts. Saturated fats are found in many processed foods. According to Walter C. Willet, M.D. and author of “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy”, you should limit saturated fats to below eight percent of your total daily calories.
Trans fatty acids are actually manmade. They are also solid at room temperature. They were actually developed to improve shelf life. You can find them in baked goods such as crackers and chips, deep fried fast food, and most margarines and vegetable shortening. These bad fats play havoc on cholesterol levels, leading to cholesterol related conditions such as heart disease. Avoid trans fats all together.
Essential Fats
The efficient human body can create the fat it needs from other sources such as carbohydrates. There are a few fats that cannot be produced by the body though. These fats are called essential fatty acids and must come from the food we eat. Essential fats are all polyunsaturated fats.
One of the essential fats that needs your attention is the omega-3 fatty acids. There are three main types of omega 3 fats: ALA, EPA, and DHA. The body can convert ALA into EPA or DHA, but neither EPA or DHA can be converted to ALA.
EPA and DHA are found mainly in fish. ALA is found in a variety of food sources, including flaxseed oil, walnuts, soy oil, olive oil, grass fed beef, almonds, kale, and spinach.
Phat Fat Facts
Are you confused, yet? Let me simplify the fat equation for you. Increase unsaturated fats (poly and mono), limit saturated fats (think solids), and avoid trans fats. Eat foods that contain omega 3 fatty acids because your body cannot produce this essential fat on its own. Good fats improve your health. Bad fats do the opposite. Remember, you are what you eat. Be good to yourself and eat the good fats your body needs.
You Are What You Eat
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