Remember the “Low Fat” craze? You should, because it’s still happening. But the more we continue to learn about diet and nutrition, the more we are realizing that some fats are not only good for you, but necessary for a high functioning and healthy body. But which fats are good? Which fats are ok sometimes? And which fats should we altogether avoid? Let’s break it down.
What makes a fat “bad”?
The worst type of fats are known as “trans-fats”. Trans fats are a byproduct of hydrogenation, a process used to turn lucid fats into solids. Take a healthy vegetable oil, for example, and put it through hydrogenation and you get not-so-healthy saturated fats. You might recognize this on the grocery store shelves as margarine or vegetable shortening. Eating foods rich in trans fats increases the amount of harmful LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream and reduces the amount of beneficial HDL cholesterol. Trans fats create inflammation, which is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. They contribute to insulin resistance, which increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Even small amounts of trans fats can harm health: for every 2% of calories from trans fat consumed daily, the risk of heart disease rises by 23%. Are there any benefits to trans fats? No, and thanks to a lot of hard work from doctors, nutritionists, registered dietitians and health educators, these mainly man-made fats are rapidly fading from the food supply. Tip: When looking at food labels, these unhealthy fats are found in an ingredient labelled as “partially hydrogenated oil."What makes a fat “good”?
Good fats come mainly from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish. Healthy fats are liquid at room temperature, not solid. Does olive oil come to mind immediately? Good, it should and if you’re a fan of the EVOO, you’re on the right track. There are two broad categories of beneficial fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.