Fat: the Good, the Bad and the Tasty

Dietary fat is making a comeback.  It was pretty unpopular in the 90’s but recently we’ve started to identify the benefits of including healthy fats in our diet.  Let’s start by addressing a myth: fat makes you fat…false!  Regularly eating more calories than we burn will cause our bodies to store fat. 

Dietary fats are essential in providing energy and supporting cell growth.  Stored fat provides our bodies insulation and protects organs.  Fat aids in the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, D, E and K.  The daily recommendation for dietary fat is 20-35% of total calories.

Unfortunately only some dietary fats provide positive benefits for our health.  Trans fat, also identified as partially hydrogenated oil, is a man-made fat that has been linked with increasing risk for development of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  Excessive consumption of trans fat can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower HDL (good) cholesterol.  Trans fat can be found in many pre-packaged convenience foods as well as fried foods, pastries, margarine, cookies and potato chips. 

Saturated fat is found in animal products and eating too much of this can raise total cholesterol.  Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature and can be seen in cuts of meat.  It is not necessary to avoid animal products to reduce saturated fat intake.  We can limit saturated fat intake by choosing lean cuts of meat, trimming visible fat and selecting low-fat or non-fat dairy products.  When preparing cuts of meat it is best to grill, bake, broil, roast, poach or steam instead of frying or breading.

Monounsaturated fats have a positive effect on health when eaten in moderation and in place of trans and saturated fats.  Monounsaturated fat helps to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower the risk of heart disease and some are high in the antioxidant vitamin E.  Monounsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, peanut butter, avocado, nuts and seeds.

Polyunsaturated fats are another healthy source of dietary fat.  Like monounsaturated fats they can help reduce total cholesterol and lower risk of heart disease.  Omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids are part of the family of polyunsaturated fats, they aid in brain function and growth.  You can find polyunsaturated fats in flax seeds, chia seeds, seafood, soybean oil, olive oil and macadamia nuts.

We hope this will help you when reading food labels and preparing meals.   Choosing unsaturated fats, limiting saturated fat and avoiding trans fat will support heart health and overall wellness.

-Julie