Fats are part of the diet. It may provide 25-35% of daily calories. Gone are those days when “fats” from the food we eat are viewed as all bad for health. Know which is good and bad especially when it comes to cardiovascular health.
Classified into saturated and unsaturated fat, the saturated fats are implicated in some health problems. When a diet is rich in saturated fats, it is likely that the total cholesterol and bad cholesterol (low density lipoprotein or LDL) are increased thereby increasing the risk of heart disease, weight gain and diabetes. Red meat like beef and pork, chicken skin, whole milk, butter, eggs, palm oil and coconut oils are rich sources.
Experts recommend that if one eats saturated fats, it should be very little. Use healthier fats instead – that which is unsaturated. It can be coursed out mainly from vegetables, nuts and fatty fish Unsaturated fats can be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Rich in monounsaturated fatty acids are avocado, olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil. Polyunsaturated fats include omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These kinds of fats lower a person’s risk of heart disease as they tend to increase the levels of the good cholesterol which is the high density lipoprotein or HDL which provides a protective effect on the heart. Omega 3 fatty acids make the heart healthy, reduce triglycerides in the blood, improve brain, joint and eye health, lower risk to developing disease of the heart, at the same time protect the heart by reducing inflammation. Safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, walnut and cottonseed oil are rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid while flaxseed oil and fatty fish like mackerel, salmon are rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid.
Food processors benefit from the addition of hydrogen to unsaturated fats to make transfat. This is beneficial as it can prolong the shelf life of food, improve texture and taste of food like margarine made more spreadable, pie crusts make flaky and puddings more creamy. The disadvantage of the trans or hydrogenated fat is that it makes the unsaturated fat behave like saturated fat thus increasing blood cholesterol and risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. This is one good reason to limit processed food such as fried food like french fries, doughnuts, pies, pastries, biscuits and other baked goods, pizza dough, cookies, crackers, stick margarines and shortenings, packaged foods and fast foods. Also read labels and avoid those with ‘partially hydrogenated oil” as ingredients.