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Not all fats are bad for you, here’s a look at different types of fat that we need to know about concerning types of fat which are the good, the ugly, and the bad.
Adults should get 20% to 35% of their daily calories from fat, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Many of us cut the science behind fats and replace with refined carbohydrates, so we miss out on the benefits of healthy fats. Eating lots of refined carbohydrates can increase triglyceride levels, which can contribute to heart and blood vessel diseases. Let’s take a look at the various types fat, their effect on our body and their sources.
What is a polyunsaturated fat?
Polyunsaturated fats are healthy unsaturated fats, that are in liquid state a room temperature. Polyunsaturate fats can help lower total body cholesterol level. This category list Omega-6 fatty acids, which are known as essential fatty acids because our bodies don’t make them-we have to get them from food. .
Foods with high polyunsaturated fats include:
Nuts
Seeds
Corn Oil
Fatty Fish
Safflower Oil
Monounsaturated fats are also the healthy unsaturated fats, that are liquid at room temperature. Monounsaturated fats raise HDL (good cholesterol) and lower LDL.
Foods with high monounsaturated fats include:
Nuts & Seeds *
Almond oil
Avocados
Canola oil
Grape seed oil
Hemp oil
Macadamia nut oil
Olive oil (75% monounsaturated fat)
Peanut oil
Sunflower oil (contains at least 70% monounsaturated fat)
In the world of good unsaturated fats, Omega-3 are superstars. They fight inflammation, help control blood clotting, and lower blood pressure and triglycerides.
The American Heart Association suggests eating at least two 3.5-ounce servings of Omega-3 fatty acids-rich fish each week.
Simple High Omega 3 Diet Menu:
– Sandwich with 3-5 oz Tuna (450 mg)
– Sushi with 3.5 oz Salmon (1570 mg)
– 2 Omega-3 rich Eggs in breakfast (800 mg)
– 1 tbsp Flaxseed in breakfast on your cereal (2200 mg)
– 50g of walnuts in a fruit smoothie (3000 mg)
– Caprese Salad with 1 tbsp Olive Oil ) (100 mg)
Earlier it was thought that eating dietary cholesterol, like in shrimp or eggs, would raise cholesterol. It does to some extent, but it’s more important to focus on not eating saturated and trans fats.
For people with normal cholesterol, the current recommendation is no more than 300 mg of cholesterol daily intake, while people at high risk of heart disease should consume less than 200 mg daily.
*1 egg contains about 200 mg of cholesterol.
Saturated fats is definitely not good for you. Saturated fat increases total cholesterol and LDL, and may boost your type 2 diabetes risk. Meat, seafood, dairy products, palm and coconut oil, are the main sources.
Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products to cut the saturated fat. It is recommended that no more than 10% of total calories come from saturated fat. So if you eat 2000 calories a day, for example, keep your saturated fat intake below 22 grams.
List of foods with high saturated fat :
Butter: 100 grams of butter contains 51 grams of saturated fat (7.05 tablespoon)
Coconut oil: 100 grams of coconut oil contains 87 grams of saturated fat (7.32 tablespoon)
cakes
biscuits
fatty cuts of meat
sausages
bacon
cured meats like salami, chorizo and pancetta
cheese
pastries, such as pies, quiches, sausage rolls and croissants
cream, crème fraîche and sour cream
ice cream
coconut milk and coconut cream
milkshakes
chocolate and chocolate spreads
Reference:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-there-a-place-for-coconut-oil-in-a-healthy-diet-2019011415764
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5914363/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4642420/
