Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat

keke7133

Can someone help explain to me what these are and if they’re good or bad? I go over a bit on these two every day. I’ve read they are considered the “good” kind of fat, but then I see MFP highlight them in red when I'm over. 🤔🤔

lynn_glenmont

Widely accepted nutritional advice is that unsaturated fats are better for you than saturated fats. The "essential" fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats, so you need to be getting enough of those. However, obtaining data on how much of the EFAs you're getting is next to impossible, so I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about it beyond trying to choose PUFAs when you can.

Because there is no recommended amount for MUFAs and PUFAs, MFP sets the "goal" as zero for everybody, which means everyone will be in the red every day, so don't worry about being in the red. Given MFP's design, it is impossible not to be in the red.

Jacq_qui

^^ thanks for this. Always wondered what it was I ate that put me over every day.

HeidiCooksSupper

Here's a good read on them: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/

AnnPT77

IIRC, even in free MFP you can change your goals if you want to do that, i.e., if you decide that X amount of PUFA/MUFA would be good for you to hit, then change those goals to non-zero.

I can't check this because I don't have free MFP anymore, but I did definitely change other (non-macro) nutritional goals when I was using the free version, so I assume those are probably modifiable.

Personally, I don't worry about the colors, once I know what my personal objectives are that I'm trying to achieve. If I get a mix of red and green - especially likely once I add in eating back exercise calories - I just pretend it's Christmas.🎄🎅

lynn_glenmont

AnnPT77 wrote: »

IIRC, even in free MFP you can change your goals if you want to do that, i.e., if you decide that X amount of PUFA/MUFA would be good for you to hit, then change those goals to non-zero.

I can't check this because I don't have free MFP anymore, but I did definitely change other (non-macro) nutritional goals when I was using the free version, so I assume those are probably modifiable.

Personally, I don't worry about the colors, once I know what my personal objectives are that I'm trying to achieve. If I get a mix of red and green - especially likely once I add in eating back exercise calories - I just pretend it's Christmas.🎄🎅

Yes, you can change the goal even in free MFP. But since a lot of product labels in the U.S. don't carry breakdowns for PUFAs and MUFAs (presumably it's not required), I think setting a goal that can't be tracked unless you're only eating whole foods is of limited utility. Of course, it could get rid of the red numbers. But on days one fell below the goal according to one's diary, it wouldn't necessarily mean one was actually below the goal.

AnnPT77

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

IIRC, even in free MFP you can change your goals if you want to do that, i.e., if you decide that X amount of PUFA/MUFA would be good for you to hit, then change those goals to non-zero.

I can't check this because I don't have free MFP anymore, but I did definitely change other (non-macro) nutritional goals when I was using the free version, so I assume those are probably modifiable.

Personally, I don't worry about the colors, once I know what my personal objectives are that I'm trying to achieve. If I get a mix of red and green - especially likely once I add in eating back exercise calories - I just pretend it's Christmas.🎄🎅

Yes, you can change the goal even in free MFP. But since a lot of product labels in the U.S. don't carry breakdowns for PUFAs and MUFAs (presumably it's not required), I think setting a goal that can't be tracked unless you're only eating whole foods is of limited utility. Of course, it could get rid of the red numbers. But on days one fell below the goal according to one's diary, it wouldn't necessarily mean one was actually below the goal.

Sure. I don't bother, even though I try to get plenty of PUFAs/MUFAs. Some people are mysteriously stressed (IMO) by the red numbers; if so, they can make them go away in a sort of "satisficing" mode, potentially.

lynn_glenmont

AnnPT77 wrote: »

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

IIRC, even in free MFP you can change your goals if you want to do that, i.e., if you decide that X amount of PUFA/MUFA would be good for you to hit, then change those goals to non-zero.

I can't check this because I don't have free MFP anymore, but I did definitely change other (non-macro) nutritional goals when I was using the free version, so I assume those are probably modifiable.

Personally, I don't worry about the colors, once I know what my personal objectives are that I'm trying to achieve. If I get a mix of red and green - especially likely once I add in eating back exercise calories - I just pretend it's Christmas.🎄🎅

Yes, you can change the goal even in free MFP. But since a lot of product labels in the U.S. don't carry breakdowns for PUFAs and MUFAs (presumably it's not required), I think setting a goal that can't be tracked unless you're only eating whole foods is of limited utility. Of course, it could get rid of the red numbers. But on days one fell below the goal according to one's diary, it wouldn't necessarily mean one was actually below the goal.

Sure. I don't bother, even though I try to get plenty of PUFAs/MUFAs. Some people are mysteriously stressed (IMO) by the red numbers; if so, they can make them go away in a sort of "satisficing" mode, potentially.

Yeah, the red numbers don't bother me either, so perhaps I am overly discounting the value to some people of being able to make them go away. Or maybe I'm putting too much weight on the possibility of people getting stressed by seeing numbers saying they're not meeting their PUFA/MUFA goals.