28 Dec 09 Choosing Healthy Dietary Fats

Any deserving fat list will include both bad fat good fat classes because not all fat is formed the same. Some diet fat can heal while other fats can kill.

Fat has a bad reputation and deservedly so. Excess blubber in the diet, particularly bad fat, has been scientifically linked to weight issues, obesity, hypertension ( hypertension ), high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

However, good fats have been discovered to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol and help protect against heart problems, diabetes and stroke.

That is the reason why a healthy appreciation of bad fats and good fats is good for your well being.

It’s clear that food fat can’t be totally eliminated from your diet. The U.S. Office of farming actually recommends all adults get at least ten percent and no more than about 25% to thirty percent of their daily calories from fat. The problem is the majority are getting a lot more fat than that, as much as 35% to 40% of their calories. And a lot of that fat intake would be considered bad fat.

Essentially, there are two types of bad fat - saturated fat and trans fat.

Saturated fats are those fats that are generally hard at a comfortable temperature. These heart clogging fats have been found to raise blood cholesterol levels, which finally leads to such heart and circulation issues.

Saturated fats, for the most part, come from animal sources. The most common food sources of saturated fat are meats, cheese, butter, milk, yogurt, ice cream and other dairy foods, as well as coconut and palm oils. Saturated fat should restricted to no more than 105 of your daily calories.

Trans fat, the second sort of bad fat, is perhaps the most unhealthy fat and should be virtually eliminated from your diet. Trans fat is an hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated type of fat that has been closely linked to gains in weight and far higher hazards of artery blocking bad LDL cholesterol, as well as breast cancer. Trans fats are found in almost every processed food, including cookies, crackers, cakes, pastries, cereals, candy, chips, for example.

Good fats are monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and the unique polyunsaturated fats called omega 3 trans-acids.

Monounsaturated fats have been shown to raise good HDL cholesterol and lower bad LDL cholesterol, providing superior cover against heart disease. The best monounsaturated fat is extra virgin olive oil, which is a serious part of the very healthy Mediterranean Diet. Other good sources of monounsaturated oils are olives, avocados, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, and pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Polyunsaturated fats, found principally in vegetable oils, are a good source of necessary greasy aids [*COMMA] but most authorities now believe folks use way too much of these highly refined oils. It’s much more healthy to use monounsaturated olive oil for salads and get your necessary greasy acids essentially from 100% whole grains, soybeans, sunflower seeds and walnuts.

There’s one highly valuable polyunsaturated oil that should be a serious part of your regular diet and that is fish oil omega 3 EPA and DHA trans-acids. A healthy diet intake of omega 3 oil has been shown to lower your likelihood of depression, inflammatory diseases like arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The best food sources of omega three EPA and DHA include salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel and anchovies and high quality omega 3 fish oil additions.

Learn all you can about bad fat good fat so you can make critical changes that may benefit your whole family. Learn the way to use a fat list to live a long, happy, healthy life.

Tags: nutrition