Good Fats, Bad Fats

With so much talk about decreasing fat intake, lowering intake of animal fats, increasing intake of omega-3 fatty acids, a person is likely to get confused altogether.  This article will help you weed through and understand the mass of information about this subject and simplify the matter of fats.

Daily Fat Intake Recommendations

The USDA recommends getting most of your fat from nut, fish and vegetable sources (including olive oil, salmon, and canola oil) and limiting solid fat sources such as butter, lard, margarine and shortening.  Choose liquid fats (oils) over solid fats when possible.  The American Heart Association also recommends adjusting total fat intake to fit a person’s caloric needs, but for the overweight consumption should not exceed 30 percent of calories.  Saturated fat should be limited to 7 percent of calories and trans fat is restricted to 1 percent of calories per day.

Cardiovascular Disease:  The Major Concern of a High Fat Diet

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of Americans, which causes problems like heart attacks and strokes.  Even if you don’t have detected heart problems, developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurs over time when cholesterol builds up in the artery walls of your heart.  When you have your cholesterol checked there are two components of interest (both cholesterol carriers):  high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL).  HDL picks ups cholesterol from the blood stream and takes it to the liver to be excreted; therefore, because it rids the body of cholesterol, HDL is considered “good cholesterol.”  LDL, in contrast, is deposited on the inside of artery walls (a process called atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries).

Bad Fats

“Bad fats”-saturated fat, cholesterol, and trans fats-are those that contribute to CVD.  Saturated fats (found mostly in dairy and meat) are the main contributors to raised LDL levels.  Cholesterol only comes from animal products, the main sources being meats, dairy and eggs.  Another more recently discovered bad fat is trans fat, which is created by the process of hydrogenation.  Hydrogenation of fats is common in the food industry to turn oil into a semisolid fat.  This is done to extend shelf-life and for better baking properties in foods.  Trans fat acts much like saturated fat in that it raises LDL, but it has a much worse effect in also lowering HDL.

Good Fats

Both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are recommended as a substitute for saturated fatty acids in the diet.  Both help lower LDL cholesterol, but monounsaturated is more stable than polyunsaturated fats because it is less likely to be oxidized (when fat goes rancid).  Oxidation of fat creates free radicals, substances that damage cells in the body which leads to health problems such as aging, heart disease and cancer.

Essential fatty acids, omega-3 (linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic), are necessary fats to maintain good health in the diet.  Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids play important roles in cardiac health, the immune system, eyes, and cell membranes and yield hormone-like compounds called eicosanoids.  These are especially important in mood and behavior regulation and inflammation.  Sources ofomega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and their derivatives are green leafy vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains, vegetable oils, poultry and cold-water fish.

Conclusion

In summary, eating a low-fat diet is best.  “Bad” fats-saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol-should be eaten in moderation because they contribute to higher levels of LDL.  “Good” fats-polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and essential fatty acids-lower LDL levels and have vital functions in the body.

Here are a few tips to help you in your diet decisions:

• Choose foods with plant oils rather than animal fats.
• Trim meats of fat before cooking.
• Eat fish twice a week.
• Reduce the amount of processed foods you eat, especially baked goods, stick margarine, shortening, salad dressing, mayonnaise, corn snacks and chips, French fries, fried chicken or fish, and other fried foods because these generally are high in fat, specifically trans fats.
• The longest shelf-life for oils is one year. The more polyunsaturated a fat is, the faster it will become rancid. Rancidity in plant oils is harder to detect than in animal fats, so don’t rely on your nose. If possible, buy oils in opaque glass containers and keep them away from air, light and high temperature. Infact, fats and oils are best stored in the refrigerator.
• Choose olive oil over other plant oils in vegetable and meat recipes and canola oil in baking recipes.