What’s Good and Bad About Dietary Fats? Nutritionist Tells What You Really Should Believe

Do you think that the fats that you consume in your daily diet are bad? Are these fats making you unfit? This is the most common misconception about fats.

But this is not true. What if we tell you adding fats to your diet is as important as adding proteins or even carbohydrates in your daily regimen. A healthy, balanced diet must include a small amount of fat. Dietary fat contains essential fatty acids that the body cannot make on its own. These fats aid the absorption of vitamins A, D, and E. Vitamins A, D, and E are fat-soluble, which allows them to be absorbed only with fat.

Fats are often perceived as antagonists by common people who are generally unaware of fats’ benefits and their importance. We want to highlight the importance of fats and clear some misconceptions about them through this article.

Fats are of various types, generally named as good fats and bad fats in layman terms. So, next time if you hear from your fitness trainer to cut down the fat consumption completely, understand it is the bad fats your trainer is talking about.

It is, however, crucial to know how much good fats your body needs daily. You should never exceed this limit. Fats that are not utilized by your body get stored in the form of body fat. Thus, it is advised to consume fat in a prescribed manner to prevent your body from converting any fat into body fat. Additionally, understand that even unused carbohydrates and proteins lead to fat storage.

Scientifically, Fats Are Classified as Saturated, Trans, and Unsaturated Fats:

Saturated Fats:

Several foods contain saturated fats, including savory as well as sweet ones. Meats and dairy products are among the most abundant sources of fats. Palm oil and coconut oil, on the other hand, are sources of fats from plants.

Saturated Fat-rich Foods:

• Meat with a lot of fat.
• Sausages and pies.
• Butter, ghee, and lard.
• Cheeses, especially hard cheeses like cheddar.
• Cheese and ice cream.
• Snacks, such as popcorn and cheese crackers.
• Chocolate confectionery.
• Items, such as cakes, cookies, and pastries.
• Palm oil.
• Coconut oil and coconut cream.

Trans Fats:

Many foods, including meat and dairy products, contain natural levels of trans fats. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils also have them. The presence of this oil on an ingredient list must be declared to let people know that the product contains trans fat.

The cholesterol level can be elevated by trans fats, just like saturated fats. Therefore, it is recommended that trans fats should not be consumed more than 5g per day by adults.

Hence, when reducing your diet’s fat content, you should pay more attention to reducing saturated fat.

Unsaturated Fats:

The best way to reduce heart disease risk is to reduce your consumption of saturated fats and substitute them with unsaturated fats.

Unsaturated fats appear to be more effective than saturated fats at lowering cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are common in oils from plants and fish.

Monounsaturated Fats:

Monounsaturated fats lower LDL cholesterol and maintain HDL levels, helping to protect your heart.

The following foods contain monounsaturated fats:

• Olive oil, rapeseed oil and spreads made from these oils.
• Avocados.
• Some nuts, such as almonds, brazils, and peanuts.

Polyunsaturated Fats:

You can also reduce your blood “bad” LDL cholesterol level with polyunsaturated fats. Omega-3s and omega-6s are the main types of polyunsaturated fats.

Your body cannot make omega-3 and omega-6 fats, so consuming small amounts of these fats is essential.

Vegetable oils possess omega-6 fats, such as:

• Rapeseed.
• Corn.
• Sunflower.
• Some nuts.
• Kippers.
• Herring.
• Trout.
• Sardines.
• Salmon.
• Mackerel.

From the above information, we can say that saturated and trans fats can be considered bad fats as they increase cholesterol levels and Saturated fats are good fats.

So, as part of a healthy diet, you should try to cut down on foods and drinks high in saturated fats and trans fats and replace some of them with unsaturated fats. However, the body needs a small number of saturated fats also.