Let's Get the FATS Straight

Tue, 05/01/2007 - 4:00am by FitSugar

6,710 Views - 9 comments

We all know that trans fat and saturated fat are major things to avoid, but what's the difference between the two?

And what about unsaturated fats, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Are they bad too? What foods contain them?

Are you confused about all these fats too? Let's get these fats straight once and for all.

Trans Fatty Acids: Commonly called trans fat, these are "The chemically-altered guys." Most trans fat is a side effect of partial hydrogenation of plant oils (companies use them to increase the shelf life of their products). Trans fat are neither required nor beneficial to our bodies. Eating trans fat can increase your risk of heart disease.

Some trans fats can occur naturally (in small quantities) in meat and dairy products that come from ruminants (hooved animals that digest their food in 2 steps such as cows, goats, and buffalo). These aren't considered as bad for you as the chemically-altered kind.

Look out for:

Processed foods like crackers, snacks, breads, chips, and baked goods
margarine
shortening like Crisco
candy like caramels and chocolates (Ghirardelli)
dips
Some fast foods such as French fries and biscuits
frozen foods

If you want to check out the others, then read more

Saturated fat: "The bad guys." These are often solid at room temperature, like butter. Saturated fats are not essential to your health. Most come from animals and are found in meat, eggs, and cheese. Some are found in vegetable oils such as palm, palm kernel and coconut oils. Saturated fats are harder to digest and full of cholesterol, which clogs your arteries.

Foods that contain Saturated fat are:

lard
butter
high fat dairy products such as cream, whole milk, cheese, and sour cream
high-fat meats like ground beef, bologna, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and spareribs
coconut oil
skin from chicken and turkey
chocolate

Unsaturated fat: "The good guys." These are often liquid at room temperature, like olive and sunflower oil, and are essential to our overall health. They are thought to reduce our risk of heart disease, enhance memory, and other mental functions. They are derived from vegetables and plants.

Monounsaturated fats are one type of unsaturated fat. These are liquid at room temperature, but solidify at cold temps. Some studies have shown that these kinds of fats can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol.

Foods that contain Monounsaturated fat are:

avocado
olives and olive oil
almonds and almond butter
cashews and cashew butter
peanuts, peanut butter and peanut oil
sesame seeds

Polyunsaturated Fats are also liquid at room temperature. This type of fat has also been shown to reduce levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, but too much can also lower your HDL (good) cholesterol.

Foods that contain Polyunsaturated fat are:

walnuts
corn oil
some tubs of margarine like Earth Balance
sunflower oil
pumpkin and sunflower seeds
some salad dressings

Fit's Tip: Even if you are only eating the good fats, remember they are still fattening (duh!?!), and you should aim to have 30% or less of your diet come from fat.

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9 comments

cravinsugar

Fit, what about Olestra? I am making a recipe this week that calls for chips crumbled on the top, and so I opted for the light/fat free Lays potato chips. I looked in the ingredients to see if there were any hidden trans fats, but, all it says is Olestra, and i know your body doesn't absorb it, so does that mean they are okay? (aside from intestinal reprocusions that is)
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1 year 16 weeks ago

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FitSugar

Kyko - You're right. Only animal products contain cholesterol. Saturated fat is something different - and palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil all contain saturated fat.

1 year 15 weeks ago

Giasbash6260

You say nothing about Omega-3, 6 & 9 fats!
Omega-3 & 6 fats are sub-categories of Polyunsaturated fats while Omega-9 fats are monosaturated fats -- this are ALL VERY GOOD FOR YOU fats - SO EAT UP! Smiling