The Importance of Choosing Healthy Fats

Misconceptions about fat still exist and influence how we prepare our meals. Some people think that fats are unhealthy, and our bodies don’t need any of it.

Fats are also called ‘fatty acids’ or ‘lipids.’ Most of the fat we need is made by our bodies, but there are some fats our bodies cannot make. We can only get these fats by eating them. There are three main types of fat in the foods you eat, unsaturated fats from plant foods, saturated fats from animal foods, and trans fats from commercially prepared, processed foods.

Unsaturated Fats – This is the healthy kind, and there are two types: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Monounsaturated fats are found in avocados and peanut butter; nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and pecans; and seeds such as pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds. It is also in plant oils, such as olive, peanut, safflower, sesame, and canola oils. Polyunsaturated fats include omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. It is also found in plant-based oils like soybean, corn, and safflower oils, and they are abundant in walnuts, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, and trout.

Saturated Fats – This is, primarily found in animal products like beef, pork, and high-fat dairy foods, like butter, margarine, cream, and cheese. High amounts of saturated fat also are found in many fast, processed, baked foods like pizza, desserts, hamburgers, and cookies and pastries. These fats tend to be more “solid” (thick butter or lard) than healthier fats.

Trans Fat – They are manufactured fats. They are products that add hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil to make them more solid in texture. They are also known as hydrogenated fats. Major examples of trans fats are cake, cookies, fried potatoes, potato chips, etc. They are unhealthy if you take too much of it.

The main health issue with dietary fat is how they influence cholesterol levels. Consuming high amounts of saturated fat produces more LDL (bad) cholesterol, which can form plaque in the arteries and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

So why is fat important? Getting enough fat in your diet is important for staying healthy.

Eating only very, very low levels of fat is not recommended. We need fat because fat helps absorb vitamins, like vitamins A, D, E, and K, fat keeps our skin healthy, essential fats like Omega-3 are important for heart health, and healthy fats, like unsaturated fats from plant oils, can help lower levels of LDL cholesterol, fat adds flavor to food, fat keeps you feeling satisfied longer after a meal.

Since fat is an important part of a healthy diet, rather than adopting a low-fat diet, it’s more important to focus on eating more beneficial “good” fats and limiting harmful “bad” fats. (ND II, Sarah Belle I. Antiola, RND)