Healthy Fats Vs Unhealthy Fats

Fat Labeled the Bad Guy

For years’ fat has been labeled as the culprit behind the increased risk of heart diseases and other serious health problems such as diabetes. In hopes of reducing inches from our waistline and lowering the risks of heart diseases, we started to switch from fatty foods to low-fat foods. This shift did not make us any healthier and the percentage of people with heart problems kept on increasing. This may be because, while lowering fat from our diets, we switched to foods that are high in refined sugars and unknowingly lowered the number of good fats while removing fats from our diets.

In the current day and age, nutrition science has advanced a lot and we now know that not all fat is bad. The statement “fat is bad” is an oversimplification.

Purpose of Fats

Fat is one of the three broad categories of macronutrients, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. These nutrients provide us with energy and makeup 90% of the dry weight of whatever we eat. They are also responsible for carrying out major functions inside the body.

From the three macronutrients, fat provides the most amount of energy and is also our body’s preferred method of energy storage. Some vitamins are fat-soluble which means fat helps in their absorption. Fats are also necessary for building the exterior wall of cells called the cell membrane.

Not All Fats Are Bad or Good

First of all, saying that potato is a vegetable and fats are good so eating tons of french-fries must be good, is wrong. Eating fried foods every day is bad for your health. But, consumed in moderation not all fats will be detrimental to your health in fact consuming healthy fats will result in preferred effects such as an improved mood. Healthy fats may even result in even weight loss.

Fats being good or bad for you depends on the type of fat and the amount of fat that you are consuming. Fried foods are bad because they have bad kinds of fats and they have lots of them. Chicken breast cooked in olive oil is good because it contains good kinds of fats and they are present in moderate amounts. Even olive oil can be harmful if regularly consumed in large amounts. This is because fat has more than twice the amount of calories that carbohydrates and proteins have therefore, consuming more olive oil will cause weight gain. This may lead to obesity which will cause all sorts of problems.

Fats and Cholesterol

Fats are highly responsible for cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that resembles fat. Cholesterol is required by the human body for hormone and vitamin D production. Just like fat, there is bad cholesterol and there is good cholesterol. Also like fat, the harmfulness of cholesterol depends on the amount of it. There are two main types of cholesterol HDL and LDL.

HDL is good cholesterol: Excess cholesterol is removed from our body by HDL. HDL transports cholesterol to the liver for removal. Therefore, there is a low possibility that cholesterol will end up in our arteries.

LDL is the bad cholesterol: Cholesterol is moved to the arteries by LDL. This increases the possibility of arteries getting clogged by cholesterol. If arteries in the brain or heart are clogged, a stroke or a heart attack may occur.

Some fats when consumed increase LDL and others increase HDL. It is recommended that fats that increase LDL levels are avoided and fats that increase HDL levels are consumed in a proportionality higher quantity. This will consequently protect against heart diseases and strokes.

The Fat to Avoid (Trans Fat)

This is the worst kind of fat and it is recommended that foods containing high amounts of trans fats are not consumed. Oils that contain high amounts of trans fats stay solid at room temperature and have an increased shelf life. These types of oils also don’t break down after being repeatedly used for frying. Therefore, they are a staple in the fast-food industry.

Trans fats have been banned in the US along with many other countries. You should always read the nutrition information on the packaging of the product and avoid the ones that have trans-fat in them. Companies can get away with printing zero amounts of trans fat in the nutrition information by making the recommended serving size too small. This causes the trans-fat content per serving to be less than one and can be rounded down to zero. This is why you should also read the ingredients list as well and look for hydrogenated oils.

Eating foods containing high amounts of trans fat will increase the amount of LDL cholesterol and decrease the amount of HDL cholesterol in your bloodstream. Trans fats cause inflammation. Inflammation is involved in increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic conditions. Trans fats also create insulin resistance in the body which further leads to type 2 diabetes.

Foods that Contain High Amounts of Trans Fat:

1. Snack Foods. Chips, Microwave Popcorn
2. Commercially Baked Foods. Cakes, Pizza Dough, Cookies
3. Non- Dairy Creamers
4. Fried Fast Foods. Each time the oil is reused, the trans-fat content of the oil increases
5. Stick Margarine (Margarine was thought to be a healthy alternative to butter but margarine has huge amounts of trans fats)

All the above-mentioned products can also be found in trans-fat-free options as governments around the world are enforcing laws that discourage the use of trans-fat-containing products.

The OK Fat (Saturated Fat)

Saturated fat stays solid at room temperature, for example, butter. Saturated fats are not as bad as trans-fat but they do increase the amount of LDL cholesterol. This why foods rich in saturated fats should be consumed in moderation. Experts suggest that saturated fat intake should be lower than 10% of the total daily calorie intake.

After recent studies, the link between saturated fat and heart diseases has become foggy. One meta-analysis analyzed the conclusions of 21 studies. It was found that there is not enough evidence to suggest that saturated fat will increase the risk of heart diseases. However, switching from saturated fat to polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat will likely decrease the risk of heart disease. But switching to processed carbohydrates and refined sugars will lower the HDL cholesterol and cause worse effects than those of consuming saturated fats.

Foods that Contain High Amounts of Saturated Fat:

1. Red Mead and Meat Products. Beef, Lamb, Pork, Bacon, Sausage, Hamburgers
2. Dairy Products. Cheese, Cream, Ice-cream, Butter
3. Whole Milk
4. Chicken Skin
5. Commercially Baked Foods
6. Animal Fats. Lard, Bacon Grease

The above-mentioned products are high in saturated fat but some other products have small amounts of saturated fats as well such as:

1. Tropical Oils. Coconut Oil, Palm Oil
2. Chicken
3. Fish
4. Nuts

The Healthiest Fats (Unsaturated: Monounsaturated & Polyunsaturated)

Monounsaturated Fat

Both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated stay liquid at room temperature. It was discovered by the Seven Countries Study during the 1960s that people in the Mediterranean region experienced a low rate of heart diseases. Their diet high-fat content from foods such as olive oil, which mainly comprises monounsaturated fat. This spiked the demand for olive oil.

The recommended daily intake of monounsaturated fats is not clear but The Institute of Medicine recommends that saturated fats are replaced with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as much as possible.

Monounsaturated fats help in lowering LDL cholesterol levels and increasing HDL levels. This proportion of HDL and LDL is highly preferable as most people have proportionally high amounts of LDL.

Foods that Contain High Amounts of Monounsaturated Fat:

1. Specific Plant-Based Oils. Olive Oil, Peanut Oil, Canola Oil, Safflower Oil, Sunflower Oil
2. Avocados
3. Most Nuts. Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pecans
4. Most Seeds. Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds

Polyunsaturated Fat

Polyunsaturated fats provide us with essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6. Essential fatty acids can not be made by our body but are required for normal bodily functions. Hence they must be obtained by consuming foods that are rich in essential fatty acids. Cell membranes and covering of nerves are all built by polyunsaturated fats. The proper execution of functions such as muscle movement and blood clotting also requires polyunsaturated fats. They also help ease inflammation.

Just like monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats also help in reducing LDL cholesterol levels and increasing HDL cholesterol levels. Heart diseases are prevented and even treated with the help of polyunsaturated fat consumption. Lethal heart rhythms are also prevented by polyunsaturated fats.

Foods that Contain High Amounts of Polyunsaturated Fat

1. Specific Plant-Based Oils. Corn Oil, Sunflower Oil, Safflower Oil, Canola Oil, Unhydrogenated Soybean Oil, Flaxseed Oil
2. Fatty Fish. Salmon, Mackerel, Sardines
3. Most Seeds. Flaxseeds
4. Most Nuts. Walnuts

In Conclusion

Trans-fat is really bad for you. You should avoid foods that contain high amounts of trans fat like fried fast foods and find trans-fat-free options for your favorite foods such as cakes and doughnuts. Saturated fats are not much of a concern if consumed regularly in moderation and especially if foods that increase HDL cholesterol levels, like olive oil, are a part of your diet. Any kind of fat should NOT be replaced with refined sugars and processed carbohydrates. Unsaturated fats are best for you and you should include them in your diet where ever possible but be mindful that fats of any kind have more than twice the amount of calories that proteins and carbohydrates.