You must have heard about a healthy lifestyle with a diet low in fat. This does not mean you should avoid fat completely. However, our bodies need fat. Moreover, not all fats are bad. So, you need to do is smart in choosing the type of good fat.
Most foods contain different types of fat, including saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat and trans fat. Among these fats, there are better than others. To learn more, here's a description of the healthy fats and unhealthy.
Good/Healthy Fats
If you want to choose the fat, the best option is not fats are saturated, unsaturated fats either single or double. This type of fat, when used to replace other types of fat, can lower the risk of heart disease by lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in the blood.
Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat, is very beneficial for heart health. Omega-3s appear to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, these fats also protect against abnormal heart rate and help lower blood pressure. To help you choose foods, here is the type and source of healthy fats:
Monounsaturated fat. Can be obtained from olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.
Polyunsaturated fat. Can be obtained from vegetable oils, soybeans, nuts and seeds.
Omega-3 fatty acids. Can be obtained from fish such as salmon and mackerel, flaxseed, flax oil and walnuts.
Bad/Unhealthy Fats
Saturated fats and trans fats are less healthy kinds of fats. They can increase your risk of heart disease by increasing levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol we get from food is basically the same as fat, but cholesterol is found in animal foods. Cholesterol intake from this diet will raise cholesterol levels. But this does not significantly increase compared with saturated fats and trans fats.
These types of unhealthy fats and their source:
Saturated fat. Found in animal products (such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, lard and butter) and coconut oil.
Trans fats. Found in vegetable oils are hydrogenated, offering products (such as crackers and cookies), and fried foods.
Cholesterol from food. Found in animal products (such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, lard and butter).
Limitation of daily fat intake
Based on recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as quoted mayo clinic sites, fat intake should not exceed 35% of your total daily calories. That is, if you follow the 1800 calorie a day diet, your fat intake should not exceed 70 grams / day. (The trick: multiply 1800 by 0:35 to get 630 calories, and divide by 9, the number of calories per gram of fat, to get 70 grams total fat). You also have to remember, this is an upper limit. In addition, most of these fat calories should come from unsaturated fat sources of single and double. According to the USDA and HHS, limit saturated fats should be less than 10% of total daily calories and cholesterol less than 300 milligrams a day.
Tips to choose the best fats
Limit intake of fats in your diet but do not try to eliminate fat entirely. Focus on reducing foods rich in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Instead choose more foods that contain unsaturated fats. You can consider the following when choosing:
- Better to replace butter with olive oil
- Use olive oil when making a salad, but it is better to use canola oil when baking.
- It is better to choose a handful of nuts as a snack rather than potato chips or processed crackers others.
- It is better to add the avocado into your sandwich than cheese.
- Better to eat fish such as salmon and mackerel are rich in monounsaturated fats and omega-3, compared to meat.
