What are good fats and bad fats? And what does my license plate mean?      One reason why different kinds of fats are good or bad for you is that they affect the level of cholesterol in your blood. The kinds of fat you eat are actually more important in determining your blood cholesterol level than the amount of cholesterol in your diet! You probably know that saturated fats are bad for you, and partially hydrogenated, or trans fats, have recently had a lot of bad press also. But did you know that the best way to lower plasma cholesterol is not to cut all fat out of your diet? Cutting out the bad fats is beneficial. But what should you eat instead? Carbohydrate? Wrong.

     The best way to lower blood cholesterol is to eliminate saturated and trans fats, and to eat unsaturated fats instead. Unsaturated fats are not the lesser of two evils, simply to be tolerated. Eating the right amounts of unsaturated fats is the best way to avoid heart disease. Eating foods rich in unsaturated fats has also helped many people achieve weight loss more effectively than is achieved with low fat diets.

Saturated fats increase your blood cholesterol level
Saturated fat in the diet leads to increased blood cholesterol and promotes coronary heart disease. The saturated fats that increase blood cholesterol the most, and that you should really try to avoid, are found in palm kernel oil and coconut oil. In order to avoid the palm kernel oil and coconut oil that are added to processed foods, you have to be an avid label reader. Dairy products, meats, and palm oil also contain saturated fats that increase blood cholesterol. You can decrease your intake of these ‘bad’ fats by eating less animal fat, for example by eating smaller servings of meat, less often. It is also easy to use 1 or 2% fat milk, instead of whole milk.

Hydrogenated fat (trans fat) is even worse for you than saturated fat
Recent evidence has shown that partially hydrogenated fats, like saturated fats, increase the risk of developing heart disease. The culprit in partially hydrogenated fats is “trans” fatty acids. Partially hydrogenated fats in the diet result in elevated total blood cholesterol and LDL levels, compared to diets containing unsaturated fats. Further, partially hydrogenated fats cause a decrease in the level of the beneficial lipoprotein, HDL. Partially hydrogenated fats are found in margarine and shortening. They have been added to all kinds of snack foods and fast foods including pudding, refrigerator rolls, cookies, pastries, frosting, potato chips, French fries, cereals, crackers, and many peanut butters. They are used in many foods labeled as “reduced fat”, “low saturated fat” or “low cholesterol”, and are used to prepare fried foods, for example at McDonalds.

Saturated fat may be bad news, but unsaturated fats are good news!
So the bad news is that the saturated and hydrogenated fats in some of the most tempting and readily available foods in our culture are bad for you. By raising your blood cholesterol level they will increase the chance that you will develop heart disease. The good news is that blood cholesterol level can be lowered most effectively with a diet that is not only low in cholesterol, but also contains unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats include both polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats in the diet lower total blood cholesterol in humans, and decrease risk of developing coronary heart disease.

    The foods that are good for you, that contain mainly unsaturated fat, may be foods that you have been avoiding because you are afraid they are high in calories. They include avocado, mayonnaise, olives, nuts, seeds, fatty fishes, salad dressings made with oil, vegetables sautéed in oil, and peanut and other natural nut butters. Believe it or not, the benefits of unsaturated fats far outweigh any possible negative qualities. Therefore, although you should feel guilty about eating saturated and trans fats, but you may feel virtuous about eating unsaturated fats.

Now you know what my license place means- Eat Healthy Fat