The fact about fats is that we all need them. Fats are capable of helping in nutrient absorption as well as cell maintenance and nerve transmission. When we consume fats in unhealthy amounts, they can contribute to heart disease, weight gain and even certain types of cancer. All fats are not created equally. Some fats, such as monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and omega 3 essential fatty acids are capable of promoting our health in a positive manner while others are capable of increasing our risk of developing heart disease. The real key to eating fats is to know how we can replace bad fats with much better fats in our dietary choices.

Monounsaturated Fats

Also known as MUFAs, monounsaturated fats are capable of lowering your total cholesterol as well as your LDL or low-density cholesterol which is the bad type of cholesterol. These monounsaturated fats are also capable of increasing your HDL or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is the good, natural and healthy type of cholesterol. There are a number of great sources for monounsaturated fats out there including peanuts, almonds, walnuts and pistachios, canola oil, olive oil, black olives and avocado. These monounsaturated fats have also been linked to weight loss, as they have a profound effect on helping you burn body fat and boosting your metabolism.

Polyunsaturated Fats

Polyunsatrated fats, like monounsaturated fats, are capable of lowering your total amount of cholesterol, contributing to lowering your LDL cholesterol and can also help to raise your good HDL cholesterol as well. Some sources for polyunsaturated fats include seafood such as fish oil and salmon, corn soil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and soy oil. Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat.

Bad Fats: Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are capable of raising your total blood cholesterol as raising your bad cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol. Saturated fats are the types of fats you will find in meat, eggs, dairy, seafood and other animal products. Some plant foods also happen to be high in saturated fats including palm oil, coconut oil and kernel oil.

Bad Fats: Trans Saturated Fats

Trans fats are invented fats, and they came around when scientists began to take liquid oils and hydrogenate them so that they can better withstand the food production process, providing foods with a greater shelf life. Trans fatty acids are created as a result of the hydrogenation process, and are therefore found in many packaged, commercially available foods from French fries to microwave popcorn, as well as in hard stick margarine butter and vegetable shortening. Trans saturated fats take a good thing, fat, and turn it into a really bad thing, and there is nothing good about eating trans fatty acids, so you should avoid them as much as you possibly can.

Photo Credits: bitjungle

Originally posted 2009-10-22 03:02:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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3 fatty acids, bad cholesterol, bad fats, black olives, blood cholesterol, boosting your metabolism, density lipoprotein cholesterol, dietary choices, essential fatty acids, hdl cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, ldl cholesterol, monounsaturated fats, nerve transmission, nutrient absorption, omega 3 essential fatty acids, omega 3 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats, types of fats