Types of fats

I have read a few places that have stated that when it comes to saturated fats, the key is to take in less saturated fats than unsaturated fats. Discuss. :smile:
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Replies

  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Wow! No one has an opinion on saturated fats? :noway:
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I believe the key is to eat natural fats from real food.

    And when it comes to saturated animal fats it matters what the animals ate. You can see it for yourself. Buy a pound of 85% lean ground beef and a pound of 85% lean grass fed ground beef -- forget what the lab reports say you can feel the difference in the fats.
  • jrmartinezb
    jrmartinezb Posts: 147 Member
    Well, I've read that some studies seem to point that the link between saturated fat and heart disease is not as strong as previously thought.

    On the other hand, poly and monounsaturated fats are known to help keeping HDL in the right levels, plus there are some essential oils that you definitely must include in your diet.

    Foods high in saturated fats are usually very calorie dense and not that filling. Fatty beef will be have more calories for the same portion size than lean beef. You will probably be able have a bigger portion - for the same calories- and thus feel fuller wich is always good for weight loss.

    So, to me it makes sense, try to eat more unsaturated than saturated fats. I'm sure saturated fats are also needed, but I seriously doubt I'll ever get to a point were I'm eating to few of them.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I believe the key is to eat natural fats from real food.

    And when it comes to saturated animal fats it matters what the animals ate. You can see it for yourself. Buy a pound of 85% lean ground beef and a pound of 85% lean grass fed ground beef -- forget what the lab reports say you can feel the difference in the fats.

    I don't know about feeling the difference, but I do taste the difference. I generally buy my meat from a local butcher. The butcher gets her meat from local farmers that are hormone-free and the beef is grass fed. It is more expensive, but I sure can taste the difference.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Well, I've read that some studies seem to point that the link between saturated fat and heart disease is not as strong as previously thought.

    On the other hand, poly and monounsaturated fats are known to help keeping HDL in the right levels, plus there are some essential oils that you definitely must include in your diet.

    Foods high in saturated fats are usually very calorie dense and not that filling. Fatty beef will be have more calories for the same portion size than lean beef. You will probably be able have a bigger portion - for the same calories- and thus feel fuller wich is always good for weight loss.

    So, to me it makes sense, try to eat more unsaturated than saturated fats. I'm sure saturated fats are also needed, but I seriously doubt I'll ever get to a point were I'm eating to few of them.

    I was reading up on types of fats last night and thinking of some other threads on MFP, so I thought I would try to start a discussion. I think you are right on the money. I think that unsaturated fats provide more satiety than saturated ones. I agree that higher fat meats are not as filling as leaner meats. But usually, they taste a lot better. I am coming to the opinion that it is better to have more variety in general. And I also believe that if you keep the carbs in check while getting enough protein, then fat levels tend to fall in place, provided you have the variety needed. At least that seems to be the case.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    Some saturated fats are actually good for you like ones from dark chocolate and coconut. But some are bad for you because they turn into trans fats (hydrogenated oils). I would say as long as you're getting your sat fat from meat and natural sources it should be good in moderation. Like 10% of your calories or less.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    Unsaturated fats are the fats that lower LDL levels and allow oxygen to get in the blood cells without much effort. Poly is better than mono and you should focus on the omega 3 fatty acids from fish to get your fats when not getting it from red meat or poultry.
  • sarivt
    sarivt Posts: 1
    SAT FAT IS BAD!!

    Just stay away from it! Good fats are inclusive of monounsat (nuts, oatmeal).. etc. If you are trying for a drastic weight loss goal, elimination of sat fat is a must- processed foods and red fatty meats aren't in a diet plan nor are they good for you. Stick with simple and lean foods, chicken (watch the marinades and preperation), carbs, et cetera. Elimination of high fructose corn syrp. is also a great way to go! IT IS IN EVERTHING and is so bad for you... and keeps weight on... I wasnt paying attention to my sugars and different types of sugars (HFCS) and I was working out 6 days a week with little progress... got the tip to eliminate HFCS and BAM! two weeks no processed food or HFCS- I LOST 13 POUNDS! i obviously have to continue that trend but ORGANIC, SIMPLE, No RED MEAT diet!! (I eat a veg/vegan 3 days a week). Also, general rule- anything white is a NO GO! No white bread, grains, sauces, dressings, cheese... (i cheat on the cheese!)

    But in short, I SAY: BAT THE SAT FAT OUTTA YOUR DIET!! :)
  • Types of farts!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    SAT FAT IS BAD!!

    Just stay away from it! Good fats are inclusive of monounsat (nuts, oatmeal).. etc. If you are trying for a drastic weight loss goal, elimination of sat fat is a must- processed foods and red fatty meats aren't in a diet plan nor are they good for you. Stick with simple and lean foods, chicken (watch the marinades and preperation), carbs, et cetera. Elimination of high fructose corn syrp. is also a great way to go! IT IS IN EVERTHING and is so bad for you... and keeps weight on... I wasnt paying attention to my sugars and different types of sugars (HFCS) and I was working out 6 days a week with little progress... got the tip to eliminate HFCS and BAM! two weeks no processed food or HFCS- I LOST 13 POUNDS! i obviously have to continue that trend but ORGANIC, SIMPLE, No RED MEAT diet!! (I eat a veg/vegan 3 days a week). Also, general rule- anything white is a NO GO! No white bread, grains, sauces, dressings, cheese... (i cheat on the cheese!)

    But in short, I SAY: BAT THE SAT FAT OUTTA YOUR DIET!! :)

    Lol and to the bolded see below

    5382388872_e55d61a3f7_z.jpg
  • 130annie
    130annie Posts: 339 Member
    I believe too much animal fat is bad for you....Eat lean meat if you can, trim off any fat on meat... Having said that, fat is fat, wether it be animal source or plant source..
    One of the best plant fats is flaxseed.(not for cooking)..olive oil is good too....3 tsp a day should be plenty...Plenty of good oils out there...
  • WestCoastPhoenix
    WestCoastPhoenix Posts: 802 Member
    SAT FAT IS BAD!!

    Just stay away from it! Good fats are inclusive of monounsat (nuts, oatmeal).. etc. If you are trying for a drastic weight loss goal, elimination of sat fat is a must- processed foods and red fatty meats aren't in a diet plan nor are they good for you. Stick with simple and lean foods, chicken (watch the marinades and preperation), carbs, et cetera. Elimination of high fructose corn syrp. is also a great way to go! IT IS IN EVERTHING and is so bad for you... and keeps weight on... I wasnt paying attention to my sugars and different types of sugars (HFCS) and I was working out 6 days a week with little progress... got the tip to eliminate HFCS and BAM! two weeks no processed food or HFCS- I LOST 13 POUNDS! i obviously have to continue that trend but ORGANIC, SIMPLE, No RED MEAT diet!! (I eat a veg/vegan 3 days a week). Also, general rule- anything white is a NO GO! No white bread, grains, sauces, dressings, cheese... (i cheat on the cheese!)

    But in short, I SAY: BAT THE SAT FAT OUTTA YOUR DIET!! :)

    This just in: Your research is out of date and...right, just cutting out 'bad' food and you get a magic 13lb loss...no calorie deficit then, of course, right?
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    SAT FAT IS BAD!!
    I'm not trying to change your mind or anything like that -- don't really care what anyone else eats -- but maybe you or someone else who feels the same way would find this information useful starting point when trying to determine whether saturated fat is bad for you or not:

    http://www.dietdoctor.com/science
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    SAT FAT IS BAD!!

    Just stay away from it! Good fats are inclusive of monounsat (nuts, oatmeal).. etc. If you are trying for a drastic weight loss goal, elimination of sat fat is a must- processed foods and red fatty meats aren't in a diet plan nor are they good for you. Stick with simple and lean foods, chicken (watch the marinades and preperation), carbs, et cetera. Elimination of high fructose corn syrp. is also a great way to go! IT IS IN EVERTHING and is so bad for you... and keeps weight on... I wasnt paying attention to my sugars and different types of sugars (HFCS) and I was working out 6 days a week with little progress... got the tip to eliminate HFCS and BAM! two weeks no processed food or HFCS- I LOST 13 POUNDS! i obviously have to continue that trend but ORGANIC, SIMPLE, No RED MEAT diet!! (I eat a veg/vegan 3 days a week). Also, general rule- anything white is a NO GO! No white bread, grains, sauces, dressings, cheese... (i cheat on the cheese!)

    But in short, I SAY: BAT THE SAT FAT OUTTA YOUR DIET!! :)

    I don't think you will ever convince me that eating meat is bad. Good try though, and thanks for playing! :smokin:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I believe too much animal fat is bad for you....Eat lean meat if you can, trim off any fat on meat... Having said that, fat is fat, wether it be animal source or plant source..
    One of the best plant fats is flaxseed.(not for cooking)..olive oil is good too....3 tsp a day should be plenty...Plenty of good oils out there...

    I gotta disagree on plant fats. The *best* plant-based source for fats is hemp seeds. They have the perfect ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6, as well as being a complete protein. They contain all your EFAs. If you are eating seeds for fat content, go for hemp. If you are eating for fiber content and don't like chomping husks, then flax is good.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    SAT FAT IS BAD!!

    Just stay away from it! Good fats are inclusive of monounsat (nuts, oatmeal).. etc. If you are trying for a drastic weight loss goal, elimination of sat fat is a must- processed foods and red fatty meats aren't in a diet plan nor are they good for you. Stick with simple and lean foods, chicken (watch the marinades and preperation), carbs, et cetera. Elimination of high fructose corn syrp. is also a great way to go! IT IS IN EVERTHING and is so bad for you... and keeps weight on... I wasnt paying attention to my sugars and different types of sugars (HFCS) and I was working out 6 days a week with little progress... got the tip to eliminate HFCS and BAM! two weeks no processed food or HFCS- I LOST 13 POUNDS! i obviously have to continue that trend but ORGANIC, SIMPLE, No RED MEAT diet!! (I eat a veg/vegan 3 days a week). Also, general rule- anything white is a NO GO! No white bread, grains, sauces, dressings, cheese... (i cheat on the cheese!)

    But in short, I SAY: BAT THE SAT FAT OUTTA YOUR DIET!! :)

    Lol and to the bolded see below

    5382388872_e55d61a3f7_z.jpg


    :laugh: :laugh:

    I'm down nearly 40 pounds. She would probably wouldn't know what to think if she trolled my food diary.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    My opinion is that saturated fats are *kitten* delicious and contribute to the overall health and well being of my family.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Wow! No one has an opinion on saturated fats? :noway:

    That's because it's far too complicated of a subject for a simple discussion. There are a lot more types of fats than just saturated and unsaturated. In general, there is no conclusive evidence that saturated fat is necessarily all that bad for you. It's more important to avoid the trans-fats (excluding the naturally occuring ones).
  • jamk1446
    jamk1446 Posts: 5,577 Member
    My opinion is that saturated fats are *kitten* delicious and contribute to the overall health and well being of my family.

    +1
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Wow! No one has an opinion on saturated fats? :noway:

    That's because it's far too complicated of a subject for a simple discussion. There are a lot more types of fats than just saturated and unsaturated. In general, there is no conclusive evidence that saturated fat is necessarily all that bad for you. It's more important to avoid the trans-fats (excluding the naturally occuring ones).

    See, that wasn't so complicated. Great comment!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    My opinion is that saturated fats are *kitten* delicious and contribute to the overall health and well being of my family.

    +1

    +2
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I have read a few places that have stated that when it comes to saturated fats, the key is to take in less saturated fats than unsaturated fats. Discuss. :smile:

    Yeah, current medical recommendations are for less saturated then unsaturated, and I think it's a good rule of thumb. Not all saturated fats are the same, but unless you know which are good and which are bad it's probably best to limit them, especially if not from plant sources. I have read recommendations to especially avoid saturated fats from beef and dairy because they have more association with increased incidence of disease.

    So, that (above) is generally what I do and so far, so good. (by 'good' I mean I'm disease free and have no disease risk factors that are within my control)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I have read a few places that have stated that when it comes to saturated fats, the key is to take in less saturated fats than unsaturated fats. Discuss. :smile:

    Yeah, current medical recommendations are for less saturated then unsaturated, and I think it's a good rule of thumb. Not all saturated fats are the same, but unless you know which are good and which are bad it's probably best to limit them, especially if not from plant sources. I have read recommendations to especially avoid saturated fats from beef and dairy because they have more association with increased incidence of disease.

    So, that (above) is generally what I do and so far, so good. (by 'good' I mean I'm disease free and have no disease risk factors that are within my control)

    On average, I get about 1/3 to 1/2 my saturated fats from plant sources (almost entirely from hemp seeds and peanuts), but I also eat dairy daily, whether it be yogurt, cheese, milk, or sometimes all three. I am not aware of any studies showing saturated fats in dairy to be harmful. (unless it is a reduced fat or non-fat variety) In fact, some recent research is showing that people who consume dairy might have lower risk for cardiovascular issue as well as lowered risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

    I am just learning a lot of these things. I do eat beef 3-4 times per week. Sometimes it's a leaner cut and other times it's 20% fat ground beef. I have been using non-fat yogurt though, for smoothies, as well as 2% milk, because that's the milk I grew up drinking. I am thinking of switching to full fat for both, or at least for milk. For smoothies, I usually have hemp seeds in them, so there's plenty of healthy fats in my smoothies.
  • Polys are the best (e.g. canola and LCPUFAS such as n-3 and n-6), Monos are also good e.g. Olive oil and you should try to have a higher proportion of PUFAs and MUFAs in your diet than SFAs. SFAs are the worst because they increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and increase your triglycerides and stuff. However, you have to eat them and if you are a meat eater you are going to eat them even if you eat very lean meat because all of the cell membranes are made up by phospholipids anyway as a source of fat. You also need cholesterol in your diet for the synthesis of steroid hormones (such as testosterone and oestrogen) and for cell membranes and a bunch of other things. But you just have to regulate these things. Choose low fat dairy products and lean meat and try not to eat fried foods or fatty dressings etc and you should be allg!
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    Saturated fats have zero impact and it's absurd to rule them out as bad fats. Saturated fat is the major component in all cell membranes... wouldn't that make it important? Although we can synthesize it on our own, dietary intake only aids the process.

    Cholesterol is not a fat, it's a 17 carbon ring alcohol with a waxy/soap-like consistency also mandatory to the maintenance of all cell membranes and the foundation to prostaglandins and sex hormones. You can eat as much cholesterol as you want, the liver determines if it should make more or not based on intake and keeps things in check. Insulin promotes cholesterol synthesis.

    You can't live without either, and neither negatively impact blood lipid panels.
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
    Some saturated fats are actually good for you like ones from dark chocolate and coconut. But some are bad for you because they turn into trans fats (hydrogenated oils). I would say as long as you're getting your sat fat from meat and natural sources it should be good in moderation. Like 10% of your calories or less.
    No. Saturated fats cannot be made into transfats and the carbon chains are fully *saturated* with hydrogen atoms unlike polyunsaturated fats which are subject to alterations in their C=C links in high temperature processes like frying.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Polys are the best (e.g. canola and LCPUFAS such as n-3 and n-6), Monos are also good e.g. Olive oil and you should try to have a higher proportion of PUFAs and MUFAs in your diet than SFAs. SFAs are the worst because they increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and increase your triglycerides and stuff. However, you have to eat them and if you are a meat eater you are going to eat them even if you eat very lean meat because all of the cell membranes are made up by phospholipids anyway as a source of fat. You also need cholesterol in your diet for the synthesis of steroid hormones (such as testosterone and oestrogen) and for cell membranes and a bunch of other things. But you just have to regulate these things. Choose low fat dairy products and lean meat and try not to eat fried foods or fatty dressings etc and you should be allg!

    This is what people were told 20 years ago. Since then we've learned what you stated is not necessarily true. Yes, many naturally occurring unsaturated oils are very good for you. However, many of the unsaturated oils (eg canola oil) that are mass produced very cheaply by the food industry may be a lot worse for you than naturally occurring SFA's (secondary to causing inflammation). Likewise, there is plenty of evidence suggesting that whole fat diary is probably healthier for you than low fat dairy.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Polys are the best (e.g. canola and LCPUFAS such as n-3 and n-6), Monos are also good e.g. Olive oil and you should try to have a higher proportion of PUFAs and MUFAs in your diet than SFAs. SFAs are the worst because they increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and increase your triglycerides and stuff. However, you have to eat them and if you are a meat eater you are going to eat them even if you eat very lean meat because all of the cell membranes are made up by phospholipids anyway as a source of fat. You also need cholesterol in your diet for the synthesis of steroid hormones (such as testosterone and oestrogen) and for cell membranes and a bunch of other things. But you just have to regulate these things. Choose low fat dairy products and lean meat and try not to eat fried foods or fatty dressings etc and you should be allg!

    Honestly...based on what I am reading, I am about to switch to full fat dairy.
  • jamk1446
    jamk1446 Posts: 5,577 Member
    Polys are the best (e.g. canola and LCPUFAS such as n-3 and n-6), Monos are also good e.g. Olive oil and you should try to have a higher proportion of PUFAs and MUFAs in your diet than SFAs. SFAs are the worst because they increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and increase your triglycerides and stuff. However, you have to eat them and if you are a meat eater you are going to eat them even if you eat very lean meat because all of the cell membranes are made up by phospholipids anyway as a source of fat. You also need cholesterol in your diet for the synthesis of steroid hormones (such as testosterone and oestrogen) and for cell membranes and a bunch of other things. But you just have to regulate these things. Choose low fat dairy products and lean meat and try not to eat fried foods or fatty dressings etc and you should be allg!

    Honestly...based on what I am reading, I am about to switch to full fat dairy.

    Seriously, do it.
  • blackmantis
    blackmantis Posts: 165 Member
    Your body creates enough saturated fats that you do not need to add them in your daily diet. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated are considered good facts but I have not found any studies that suggest a recommended amount to eat daily however there are some studies that suggest they help prevent heart disease.