Fat is like your little brother. It's easy to blame it for everything. Fingering fat as the cause of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure seems obvious. Well, just like your little brother, fat intake has contributed to the problem, but is not the sole cause of the problem, and all fats are not bad. Like most misunderstood nutrients, you actually need essential fatty acids (EFA) or "the good" fats to stay alive.
Good, or unsaturated, fats help nutrient and vitamin absorption, assist nerve transmission, maintain cell membrane integrity and healthy skin, and keep your immune system working. Unsaturated fats added into the diet can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, and lower cholesterol. It is important to eat a diet that includes good fats, or EFA, because your body is incapable of producing EFA. The only way to derive them is from food intake.
The skinny on fat The only way to gain weight is to consume more calories than you burn. If you eat a low-fat diet, but consume more carbohydrate or protein calories than you burn, you will gain weight. As in all calories consumed, it is recommended that the majority of those calories are made up of a balanced combination of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish/seafood, legumes and whole grains.
But if you look at the Food Pyramid, oils are also a category (www.mypyramid.gov). What is important is the type of oil/fat consumed, and that you consume less than 30 percent of your daily calories from fat. It is really all about replacing bad fats (saturated and trans) with the good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated).
A basic understanding of how fat and cholesterol work in your body is important. This will help you see why "good fat" is healthy and why "bad fat" works against you. Fat and cholesterol cannot dissolve in water or blood. The body compensates for this by packaging them into tiny, protein-covered particles called lipoproteins which flow easily in your blood. The most significant lipoproteins are low-density (LDL), high-density (HDL), and triglycerides.
Low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, are referred to as the bad or harmful cholesterol. LDL carries cholesterol from the liver to your body. Cells latch on to these particles and extract the fat and cholesterol. When there is too much LDL cholesterol in the blood, these particles can form deposits in the wall of arteries, especially the coronary. These deposits cause plaque which narrows arteries and limits blood flow. When this plaque breaks away it can cause a heart attack or stroke.
High-density lipoproteins, or HDL, are referred to as the good or protective cholesterol. It scavenges cholesterol from the bloodstream, LDL, and artery walls and ferries it back to the liver for disposal. HDL is literally the garbage truck of the bloodstream. Triglycerides are made up of the fat you eat and they are the main vehicle for transporting fats to cells and are important to good health. However, an excess of triglycerides can be unhealthy.
The good fat While "good fat" may sound counter-intuitive, it is not. Including unsaturated fats in your diet can improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation, stabilize heart rhythms, reduce clogged arteries, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Your body cannot make unsaturated fat, which is why it's important to include in a healthy diet. The two types of good fat are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Monounsaturated fats aid in lowering your LDL, or bad cholesterol and raising your HDL or good cholesterol, thus lowering your chance of heart disease. Great sources of monounsaturated fats are canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil, olives, avocados, almonds, cashews, pistachios, peanuts, pecans and peanut butter.
Polyunsaturated fats aid in reducing risk for heart disease and stroke and hypertension, depression, ADHD, joint pain, and other rheumatoid problems and skin ailments. Omega-3 is a type of polyunsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fat can be found in cold-water fish like salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel, and anchovies and in corn, soy, safflower and sunflower oils, flaxseed, soybeans, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.
The bad fat Consuming saturated fat, or the bad fat, boosts total cholesterol by elevating the LDL, or bad cholesterol in your system. It also raises your HDL, or good cholesterol. But your body can make all the saturated fat it needs, so you do not need to eat it. Too much can have undesirable effects on your health, including clogged arteries, coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Saturated fats are mainly found in animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Some plant foods are also high in saturated fats such as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil. Saturated fats are part of many foods, so they are nearly impossible to eliminate completely, but it is key to reduce your saturated fat consumption to 7 percent or lower of your total daily calories.
Reducing your red meat intake and eating low-fat dairy products is a great place to start. Also, eat your food broiled, steamed or grilled -- avoiding fried or breaded foods. Do not use cooking oils high in saturated fat; use olive, sunflower or canola oil.
Tips to avoid bad fats Avoid packaged and processed foods when possible. Choose whole foods or food you make at home — you can make macaroni & cheese and flavored rice from scratch. Eat lean sources of protein, low-fat dairy foods, whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid foods with hydrogenated oil, partially hydrogenated oil, or shortening listed as ingredients. Use healthy oils such as olive, peanut, canola and sunflower to cook.
Even though eating unsaturated fats is an important and essential part of a balanced diet, it is still important to be careful about how much of them you eat. All fats are a concentrated energy source — 9 calories per gram, so you need to watch your serving sizes. But, taking the small step of eliminating as much saturated and all trans fat from your diet can have significant, long-term benefits to your health.