Fats in Your Diet: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Perhaps one of the most misunderstood issues that comes up for weight watchers and diet conscious consumers’ is the subject of fats. The word “fat” itself is universally perceived as a bad thing to have in your diet as it is the fat which dieters are trying to remove from their bodies. The truth, however, is that some fats are actually good for your body and should be part of your regular food intake.

Fats are most often thought of as being something to avoid in your diet because fats are dense in calories. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, as compared to 4 calories per gram for protein or carbohydrate. The essential question is what the balance should be. It’s recommended that adults get between 25 and 35 percent of their daily calorie intake from fat.

If you’re going to be putting fats in your body you should be aware of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly fats.

The Good

Unsaturated Fats: These fats are found naturally in plants and fish. They may actually help lower blood cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and increase insulin sensitivity. There are two good kinds of unsaturated fats: mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, is a polyunsaturated fat found in the ocean’s food chain have been shown to promote the health of the cell walls in our arteries, nervous systems, and brains.

The Bad

Saturated Fats: These fats are primarily derived from animal products, including meats, dairy, and egg yolks. Saturated fats may raise levels of the harmful LDL cholesterol in blood. Too much saturated fat may increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and adding unnecessary calories to your diet. Since our bodies produce saturated fats they are not essential to our diet. The rule of thumb is that less than 10 percent of one’s calories should come from saturated fatty acids.

The Ugly

Trans Fats: These fats occur in nature in some animal products, but most trans-fats are produced industrially. Also referred to as Hydrogenated fats, trans-fats are created using a combination of heat and hydrogen to extend shelf life. Trans-fats not only provide no known benefit to the human body, they have been shown to increase bad cholesterol and decrease your good cholesterol.  It is recommended that intake of Trans fats be kept to a minimum. Be sure to check food labels for the presence of trans-fats in food stores or when dining out.

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