Good Fat. Bad Fat. Fat. Fat. Fat.
Good fat. Bad fat. Unsaturated. Saturated. Trans. It reads like a Dr. Seuss book. It is ridiculous and confusing, but it does not have to be.
Good Fat
That’s right. There are good fats. Good fats lower your risk of heart disease. It is also a vital nutrient that helps provide energy for our body, is an important building block in making hormones, helps regulate the body’s cells, and even controls inflammation.
The good fats are called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Why are they good? They lower the risk of heart disease. Good fats are liquid at room temperature.
Monounsaturated fats are found in oils such as canola and olive, and Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils.
Bad Fats
The bad fats are saturated and trans fats. Saturated fats raise your LDL cholesterol. LDL is the “bad” cholesterol. It is pretty easy to detect a saturated fat, because they are solid at room temperature.
An even worse culprit is trans fats, or trans fatty acids. They not only raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol, but at the same time lower your good cholesterol (HDL). This double whammy greatly increases your risk of heart disease, which is the leading killer of women.
Trans fats are found in baked goods, such as cakes, crackers and cookies. And those fried foods you love – chicken, doughnuts and fries? Yep. Trans fat. Be careful using the shortening and those sticks of margarine.
Conclusion
Fats are an essential part of our diet. Not all fats are evil. Choose wisely and exercise your common sense. If you must have that fried chicken then fry it up in some peanut oil. It is a bit more expensive, but the taste is fabulous and the healthier results are worth it.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a Comment3 Comments
Thank you for this information.
I agree with you about fat being some kind of "f" word; and it is not. No more than carbs are a "c" word. As a nation, we're a bit obsessed with both areas of nutrition to the point that we think they are intrinsically bad for us!
When the right kind of both kinds are eaten properly and in proper moderation, then both are not only safe to eat, but essential for proper health and well-being.
Thank you again!
April 2, 2009 - 7:37pmThis Comment
I wish more writers would go further in to the fat issue and talk about rice bran oil. It is not only about olive and canola oil-there are other fine choices.
April 3, 2009 - 8:12pmIndeed, there are other fine good fat choices out there. It seems that olive oil and canola are more readily available, which is probably why they are mentioned more frequently. I'm a huge olive oil fan, and tend to go overboard sometimes (yes, you can go overboard with good fats too). Whenever I catch myself splashing the ol' olive oil too liberally I buy the spray olive oil instead, which helps with potion control.
April 7, 2009 - 9:26am