All About Fats: the Good, the Bad, the Dangerous
All About Fats: the Good, the Bad, the Dangerous – Many people think that all fats are bad, but there are certain fats that are actually healthy. Watch this video to learn about the good fats and the bad fats.
Expert: Amy Hendel, R-PA, Health Coach Health Coach, Author of “The 4 Habits of Healthy Families” »
Transcript
If no one knew smoking was unhealthy, people would never quit. Well, the same principle applies to your food. You may think you’re doing your body a world of good by eliminating all fat from your diet, but the truth is you may be missing out on important health benefits tied to certain types of fat – the good fats.
Fat is the umbrella term for harmful fats like saturated fat and trans fat, as well as healthy fats likes monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. What makes a fat “good” or” bad” from one perspective is how it affects the level of cholesterol in your blood.
Studies show that eating too much saturated fat and trans fat – the “bad” fats – can increase your risk for developing certain diseases, mainly heart disease. Mono-unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, can actually lower your risk for heart disease and other chronic diseases.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently reported that 11 to 12 percent of American’s total daily calories are coming from the saturated fat in the food choices they are eating. That’s way too much – the American Heart Association recommends that anyone older than 2 years should limit their saturated-fat intake to less than 7 percent of their total daily calories.
So, where’s all that “bad” fat coming from? Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and full-fat dairy products all contain saturated fats. But, of course, you shouldn’t completely eliminate these foods from your diet. Choosing lean meats and low-fat and fat free dairy products, and removing the skin from chicken and turkey before eating are good all ways to reduce saturate-fat intake. For example, 3 ounces of extra-lean ground beef has about 2.6 grams of saturated fat while 3 ounces of regular ground beef has 6.1 grams of saturated fat. And whole milk has about 3 times the amount of saturated fat as low-fat (1%) milk.
Now – what about those “good” fats? Mono-unsaturated fats are found in nuts like macadamia nuts and hazelnuts, seeds, and certain plant oils. Research has found that certain amounts of these healthy fats can help decrease “bad” cholesterol – LDL — and increase “good” cholesterol, or HDL.
Olive oil and avocadoes are other good sources of this healthy fat. Foods that deliver the most omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed, walnuts, salmon and sardines. These healthy fats may play a role in the prevention and treatment of a number of health conditions – heart disease, diabetes, migraine headaches, depression – the list goes on.
Even healthy fats need portion control, so here’s a general guideline: Limit your total fat intake to 20 to 30 percent of your daily calories. For someone on a 2000-calorie diet, that’s about 44 to 65 grams of total fat a day. And emphasize fats from healthier sources like nuts and olive, canola and nut oils.
Also: Don’t forget to watch out for trans fats – the most dangerous fat. Trans fats have been shown to raise “bad” cholesterol and lower “good” cholesterol. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils contain trans fats, and they’re typically found in French fries, cookies, chips, crackers and some microwave popcorn and peanut butters.
The bottom line is that all fats are not created equal – certain types are unhealthy and the right amounts of others CAN provide a lot of benefits to your health. Just remember that eating too much fat can contribute to weight gain. For more tips on how to upgrade your diet, check out other videos on this site.
Last Modified: 2013-09-25
Category: Health and Nutrition, Videos
