First: Unsaturated fats
Unsaturated fats, which are liquid at room temperature, are good fats because they improve blood cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, and help stabilize the heartbeat. They also have several other useful roles and are mostly found in plant-based foods like vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds.
There are two types of unsaturated fats:
1- Monounsaturated fats:Found in high amounts in olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocado, nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and seeds like pumpkin and sesame seeds.
2 - Polyunsaturated fats:Found in high amounts in sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, and flax seeds.
Walnuts, flax seeds, fish, and canola oil all have a lot of monounsaturated fats and are also good sources of polyunsaturated fats.
Omega fats 3 They are an important type of polyunsaturated fat that the body can’t make, so you must get them from food.
- The best way to get omega 3 fats is by eating fish 2-3 times a week. Good plant sources of omega 3 fats are flax seeds, walnuts, canola oil, and soybean oil. More omega 3 fats in the blood are linked to lower risk of early death in older adults.
- Most people don’t eat enough healthy unsaturated fats. The American Heart Association suggests that 8-10 percent of daily calories come from polyunsaturated fats. There is evidence that eating more unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats can lower the risk of heart disease.
- Dutch researchers analyzed 60 trials that checked how eating different carbs and fats affects blood fat levels. In trials where people ate unsaturated fats instead of carbs, these healthy fats lowered harmful LDL and raised protective HDL levels.
Recently, a randomized trial called the Optimal Macronutrient Intake for Heart Health showed that swapping a high-carb diet for one mostly rich in unsaturated fats lowers blood pressure, improves fat levels, and cuts heart and blood vessel disease risks.
Saturated fats
All foods with saturated fats have a mix of certain types of fats. Even healthy foods like chicken and nuts have small amounts of saturated fats, but way less than beef, cheese, and ice cream.
Saturated fats are mainly in animal foods but some plant foods have a lot too, like coconut, coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. It's recommended to get less than 10% of daily calories from saturated fats.
Cutting saturated fats may not help if people replace them with refined carbs. Eating refined carbs instead of saturated fats lowers bad LDL cholesterol but also lowers good HDL cholesterol and raises triglycerides. So eating refined carbs is kinda like eating a lot of saturated fats.
Some of the biggest sources of saturated fats in most people's diets are pizza, cheese, whole milk, butter, sweets, processed meats, cake and other grain-based sweets, and a variety of ready-made meals.
Researchers studied how saturated fat intake relates to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. Their controversial finding was there’s "not enough solid evidence from observational studies that dietary saturated fat raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, or cardiovascular disease."
Eating good fats instead of saturated fats can help prevent insulin resistance, which comes before diabetes. So while saturated fats might not be as bad as once thought, evidence clearly shows unsaturated fats are still the healthiest type.
The right way to eat fats:
Eat small amounts of fat with every meal. Your meal should be full of other nutrients like protein, veggies, and a bit of carbs. Some people rely on fat as their only energy source and cut carbs, that depends on your body and health. Also, avoid eating lots of healthy fats with carbs together because that spikes insulin and makes your body store fat.
