So let’s start off with the question; What are healthy Fats?
Simply put, healthy fats are good fats. These are fats that are essential to us maintaining a healthy life and are an important source of nutrition to the human body. Our body needs fats to perform important tasks like proper brain and nervous system functioning, healthy heartbeat, digestion of fat soluble vitamins and also help maintain blood sugar levels.
Good or Healthy Fats are also referred to as Unsaturated fats which are further divided into Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega 3 and omega 6 fats. These fats get their origin from plant and sea foods and are good for the heart, our cholesterol levels, and our overall health. They help to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, lower bad LDL cholesterol levels, while increasing good HDL cholesterol levels.
Here’s what you need to know about dietary fats, how to identify the good and the bad ones and also the power of omega-3s.
Good Fats vs Bad Fats
Completely stopping the intake of fat in order to control our weight or to live a healthy lifestyle is wrong. There are good fats and there are bad ones. Taking the good ones and in proper amounts goes a long way in helping us achieve a healthy body and mind. We should look out for the best types of fat to include in our diets.
Knowing what fats to eat can sometimes be confusing, which ones are healthy, which ones are not? You definitely want to eat healthy fats that help in adding muscle and not bad fats that hinder your gains and only add body fat.
Generally, there are 2 main types of healthy fats (Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats) we should be eating in order to help increase our hormone levels, cell membranes and decrease inflammation. Certain types of fats, (like the omega-3s) can also protect us from cancer and help to increase our levels of good cholesterol.
Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated Fats are the healthiest types of the fats. They are stable fats that contain one double bond in their fatty acid chain, hence the mono. They help to decrease our total blood Cholesterol while helping us maintain our HDL (good) cholesterol. Ideally, most of the fats we eat should come from this group. Foods in this category include almonds, avocados, canola oil, cashews, hazelnuts, natural peanut butter, macadamia nuts, olive oil, olives, pecans, peanuts, pistachios, peanut oil, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and humus.
Certain margarines (some made from oils listed above) also fall into this healthy category of fats; however we need to be careful when choosing one. Make sure to avoid any type that lists any form of “partially hydrogenated” oil on their label as these are unhealthy Trans-Fats.
Polyunsaturated Fats
Polyunsaturated Fats are healthy fats that help decrease our total blood cholesterol by lowering your LDL (bad) cholesterol; but also lowers our HDL (good) cholesterol at the same time. Because these fats also lower our HDL (good) cholesterol, we should only take them in moderation. The healthy sources can be found in nuts, olive oil and avocados. They can be found in corn oil and products made from corn oil, also mayonnaise, pumpkin seeds and in sunflower seeds. The best sources of polyunsaturated are found in fish, flaxseed oil and cod liver tablets.
One special sub-group of polyunsaturated fats are the Omega-3 fatty acids.
They are found in high-fat fish (like salmon, albacore tuna, and mackerel) as well as other cold-water seafood (like oysters, herring, lake trout, shellfish, sardines, and shrimp) and are extremely heart-healthy. Polyunsaturated fats can also come from plant sources like hempseed, butternuts, soybean oil, flaxseed oil and flaxseed, and walnuts.
Dietary Fat and Cholesterol
Dietary fat plays a major role in our cholesterol levels. Cholesterols are fatty, wax-like substances found in the bloodstream which helps the body maintain proper functioning. Cholesterol is useful for the body but having too much of it has a negative impact on our health. Similar to dietary fats, we also have good and bad types of cholesterol.
The good type is known as HDL cholesterol
The bad cholesterol is known as LDL cholesterol
- The aim usually is to try to keep LDL levels low and HDL high.This way, we are protected from heart diseases and stroke.
- Similarly, having high levels of LDL cholesterol can cause our arteries to clog and having low HDL is an indicator for cardiovascular diseases.
Instead of focusing on the quantity of fats we eat, we should rather focus on type. We should be more interested in replacing the bad fats in our diet with good ones.
So far, I’ve learnt that the more whole foods we eat, the better for our boy. If you desire to eat foods rich in fat, we should consider choosing those with healthy fat content, with ingredients that you’re familiar with and are traditional. Good options include Salmon, Avocado which contain considerable amounts of omega 3 fatty acids.
Are you interested in learning more about Good or Bad fats?
What foods you are currently eating that are good or bad fats or what foods you should be eating that contain healthy fats?
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Disclaimer: Please note that while I am a health coach by profession, I am not YOUR doctor. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice nor does it establish any kind of medical relationship between you and me. I will not be held liable or responsible for any damage resulting from or related to your use of this information.