Understanding Fats

icandoit

Understanding Fats
From Fiona Haynes,
Your Guide to Low Fat Cooking.

Sorting out the fats
Eating low fat food doesn’t mean we should give up fat entirely, but we do need to educate ourselves about which fats should ideally be avoided and which ones are more heart-healthy. Let’s be clear: we need fat in our diet. As the most concentrated source of calories (nine calories per gram of fat compared with four calories per gram for protein and carbohydrates), it helps supply energy. Fat provides linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid for growth, healthy skin and metabolism. It also helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K). And, face it, fat adds flavor and is satisfying, making us feel fuller, keeping hunger at bay.
Although all fats have the same amount of calories, some are more harmful than others: saturated fats and trans fats in particular.

Saturated fats
These fats are derived from animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs.
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No-Trans/Non-Hydro Fats
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But they are also found in some plant-based sources such as coconut, palm and palm kernel oils. These fats are solid at room temperature. Saturated fats clog our arteries and directly raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Avoid them as much as possible.
Trans Fats or Hydrogenated Fats
Trans fats are actually unsaturated fats, but they can raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels while also lowering HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Trans fats are used to extend the shelf life of processed foods, typically cookies, cakes, fries and donuts. Any item that contains “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated oil” likely contains trans fats. Hydrogenation is the chemical process that changes liquid oils into solid fats. The tide is turning against trans fats. Since January 2006, all food manufacturers are required to list trans fat content on food labels.
Unsaturated fats
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are two types of unsaturated fatty acids. They are derived from vegetables and plants.
Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature but begin to solidify at cold temperatures. This type of fat is preferable to other types of fat and can be found in olives, olive oil, nuts, peanut oil, canola oil and avocados. Some studies have shown that these kinds of fats can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol.
Polyunsaturated fats are also liquid at room temperature. These are found in safflower, sesame, corn, cottonseed and soybean oils. This type of fat has also been shown to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol, but too much can also lower your HDL cholesterol.
Omega-3 fatty acids
These include an “essential” fatty acid, which means it's critical for our health but cannot be manufactured by our bodies. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include cold-water fish, flax seed, soy, and walnuts. These fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and also boost our immune systems.
So read those food labels carefully and choose your fats wisely. And as a rule of thumb, liquid fats are better for you than solid fats.

icandoit

Understanding Fats
From Fiona Haynes,
Your Guide to Low Fat Cooking.

Sorting out the fats
Eating low fat food doesn’t mean we should give up fat entirely, but we do need to educate ourselves about which fats should ideally be avoided and which ones are more heart-healthy. Let’s be clear: we need fat in our diet. As the most concentrated source of calories (nine calories per gram of fat compared with four calories per gram for protein and carbohydrates), it helps supply energy. Fat provides linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid for growth, healthy skin and metabolism. It also helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K). And, face it, fat adds flavor and is satisfying, making us feel fuller, keeping hunger at bay.
Although all fats have the same amount of calories, some are more harmful than others: saturated fats and trans fats in particular.

Saturated fats
These fats are derived from animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs.
Sponsored Links
5 Tips to Lose Belly Fat
Stop making this 1 major mistake & you'll finally lose your belly fat.
www.BellyFlabIsUgly.com

No-Trans/Non-Hydro Fats
Non-Hydrogenated Oils & Shortenings for the food industry
www.croklaan.com
But they are also found in some plant-based sources such as coconut, palm and palm kernel oils. These fats are solid at room temperature. Saturated fats clog our arteries and directly raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Avoid them as much as possible.
Trans Fats or Hydrogenated Fats
Trans fats are actually unsaturated fats, but they can raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels while also lowering HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Trans fats are used to extend the shelf life of processed foods, typically cookies, cakes, fries and donuts. Any item that contains “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated oil” likely contains trans fats. Hydrogenation is the chemical process that changes liquid oils into solid fats. The tide is turning against trans fats. Since January 2006, all food manufacturers are required to list trans fat content on food labels.
Unsaturated fats
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are two types of unsaturated fatty acids. They are derived from vegetables and plants.
Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature but begin to solidify at cold temperatures. This type of fat is preferable to other types of fat and can be found in olives, olive oil, nuts, peanut oil, canola oil and avocados. Some studies have shown that these kinds of fats can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol.
Polyunsaturated fats are also liquid at room temperature. These are found in safflower, sesame, corn, cottonseed and soybean oils. This type of fat has also been shown to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol, but too much can also lower your HDL cholesterol.
Omega-3 fatty acids
These include an “essential” fatty acid, which means it's critical for our health but cannot be manufactured by our bodies. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include cold-water fish, flax seed, soy, and walnuts. These fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and also boost our immune systems.
So read those food labels carefully and choose your fats wisely. And as a rule of thumb, liquid fats are better for you than solid fats.

songbyrdsweet

Heyyyyyy...everything else is good, but they're giving Sat Fats and bad rep

Sat Fats do raise cholesterol, but not JUST LDL! Hey raise HDL too! They also help increase or maintain testosterone, which is important in aging men or those who are dieting, because hormone levels fluctuate with our daily activity and diet. Having high HDL is good (think H for High). If your total cholesterol is high, but it's mostly HDL, that's not as big of a problem as having high total cholesterol of mostly LDL. Eggs, for instance, contain a lot of cholesterol, but like unsaturated fats they increase your HDL more than your LDL. I'm not surprised to see this in an article because dogma in the fitness and health industry sticks like superglue! That's why people still say to avoid carbs before bed and always eat low fat. Those two "rules" are based on tradition and wives' tales, and I could give plenty of reasons why they're inaccurate.

But I do have to emphasize steering clear of the trans fats! They actually are saturated (which happens when the hydrogen atoms are pumped into them) but they don't form the natural shape of saturated fats because the hydrogens attach to the "trans" rather than the "cis" side of the molecule--hence the name. This includes margarine!

yoginimary

I heard it this way:

HDL - Healthy
LDL - Lousy

I was under the impression that some Sat fats were ok, just don't over do it?

songbyrdsweet

I heard it this way:

HDL - Healthy
LDL - Lousy

I was under the impression that some Sat fats were ok, just don't over do it?

Exactly. Don't avoid them like trans fats. Trans fats should be ZERO. Sat Fats should be about 1/3 of your total FAT calories (not total calories). So if you eat 30 g a day, 10 can be from saturated fats.