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Ripple on!"
Types of Fat
The following paragraphs introduce some of the different types of fat we eat. As you better understand the different types, you will learn which types are best avoided, as well as which types you should include in your diet plan.
A high-fat diet increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. But a low-fat diet could be even worse if it contained the wrong kind of fats.
Saturated Fats: Mostly come from animal products, but also include tropical oils such as coconut and palm. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Examples include butter, cheese, and the fat found on meat
Saturated fats play the single greatest role in raising blood cholesterol and putting us at greater risk for heart disease.
Unsaturated Fats: Unsaturated fats are the optimal choice of fat. Also, choosing the correct portion and serving size when using these fats is also important. For example,1 Tablespoon of oil contains about 120 calories, 14grams of fat and 2 grams of saturated fat. As you can imagine, if you don’t measure this out you could end up with way more fat than otherwise desired. Be cautious and selective when choosing your fats.
Monounsaturated Fats: Monounsaturated fats come from vegetables. They remain liquid at room temperature, but become less fluid when refrigerated. Examples include canola, olive and sesame oils. Monounsaturated fats are also found in avocados, olives and most nuts and seeds.
Polyunsaturated Fats: Polyunsaturated fats also come from vegetables, but they remain liquid both at room temperature and when refrigerated. Examples include corn, sunflower, safflower and soybean oils.
Hydrogenated or Trans Fats: Hydrogenated fats are created from unsaturated vegetable fats through a process that adds hydrogen. The process creates trans fatty acids, which are more like saturated fats; they last longer and remain solid at room temperature. Trans fatty acids are found in margarine, doughnuts and pastries, deep-fried foods and chips, and microwave popcorn.
Trans fatty acids raise blood cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and lower your HDL (good) cholesterol. Watch for trans fatty acids on package labels, and where they are not listed watch for ingredients containing partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils.
Essential Fatty Acids: Our bodies require these fats for good health, but can't produce them so they must be eaten. The primary essential fatty acids are linoleic acid, an omega-6 fat, and alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat.
Most people eat more omega-6 fats than needed and fewer omega-3 fats than are required for optimal health. Omega-6 fats are found in polyunsaturated fats like corn and safflower oils. Omega-3 fats are found in flaxseed, walnuts, green soybeans, tofu and certain fish including albacore tuna, salmon, lake trout, sardines, herring and mackerel.
The actual content of a particular fat is not as clearly defined as these descriptions would lead you to believe. For example, beef fat is listed as saturated, but its actual content is just over half saturated. Olive oil is listed as monounsaturated, but its actual content is just over three-quarters monounsaturated.
Olive oil is so often referred to as being a healthier fat that you might think of it as being healthy. But it is still pure fat, and 14% of it is saturated. Remember that fat is the nutrient which contains the greatest number of calories per gram. It is also the nutrient which your body most easily turns into body fat.
"A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done." -Vince Lombardi
