Good vs. Bad Fats – Things to Know

The fact is that we all need fats as they help in nerve transmission, nutrient absorption to quite an extent. As rightly said anything consumed in excess can be a problem for your body. The same goes on consumption of excessive fats. Some fats encourage our health in a positive way while some fats can lead to health problems and can affect our system and can lead to risks like heart disease. One can do nothing about it but just that he/she can replace bad fats with good fats.1. Good Fats:

Mono-unsaturated fats and Poly-unsaturated fats come under good fats.

Both these kinds of fats are good for your body. Monounsaturated fats are good for your heart and your cholesterol as well. Monounsaturated fats include olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, nuts (cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts) and etc. These fats are good for your body and you need not worry about consumption of these fats.

Poly-unsaturated fats include soyabean oil, soymilk, tofu, walnuts etc.

Other good fats which prove to be healthy for your body and can be consumed are:

Omega 6 Fats

• Linoleic acids (LA) which are most probably found in vegetable oil; sunflower and corn oil are one of the best sources of LA acids.
• Arachidonic acids (AA) are found to a great extent in meat, eggs and fish so can be consumed as it gives you a good nourishing diet. AA acids must also be consumed in a proportionate amount as excessive consumption of AA acids can lead to blood clotting and can give rise to inflammation.

Omega 3 fats

• Alpha-Linoleic acid is found in hemp oil and flax seed.
• Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) is found to be in fatty fish like tuna mackerel and salmon.

There should be a balance Omega 6 fats and Omega 3 fats for proper functioning of your body and a healthy immune system. An individual’s diet of Omega 6 fats should not at all be more than 4 times of Omega three fats. It should be consumed in a proportionate amount to avoid unnecessary trouble.2. Bad Fats:

Saturated fats are generally termed as bad fats. Trans fats are also included in bad fats because the consumption of these fats increases the risk of high cholesterol and disease. Saturated fats generally tend to be solid when kept at room temperature. Example Butter, while Monounsaturated fats tend to be in a liquid state.

Saturated fats are usually those animal fats which are found in dairy products and are categorized into following:

• Short Chain And Medium Chain Fats–  Palm Kernel oil is one of the example of short chain fats and can cause problems if over consumed so one needs to be careful while consuming them.

• Long Chain Fats – Long chain fats are those kinds of fats which are generally seen in junk food. When these fats hydrogenate then these are known to be as trans fat and become poisonous when consumed.

Saturated fats include chicken with the skin, butter, cheese, palm and coconut oil, lard etc.

Trans fats include stick margarine, candy bars and vegetable shortening is also one of the trans fats which are not considered to be that healthy for your system.

There are different sources of good and bad fats as we know now which could create confusion as to what to eat and what not to eat but one can always go for good fat rather than no fat.