What IS The Difference In Fats Anyway?

I always see articles online and see other stories about fat, obesity, etc., etc. and even though I know some fat is needed in any diet, when I try to figure it out my eyes spin. Here is what I think I know.

Fats are made up of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon. A fat with more hydrogen is considered more saturated than those with less hydrogen. Saturated fats are not as healthy as unsaturated.

So how does that translate to our diet?

Saturated fat is usually solid at room temperature and is found mostly in meat and dairy products. Coconut and palm oil also contain saturated fat. These fats raise your total cholesterol and your LDL, or "bad," cholesterol, which puts us at a higher risk of getting heart disease. The total daily limit of calories from saturated fats should be less than 7 percent.

Trans fats are vegetable oil with hydrogen artificially added. These are to be avoided as much as possible. Many commercial bakery goods and fried foods in fastfood restaurants have trans fat. These not only raise your LDL cholesterol, but also lower the HDL, or "good," cholesterol. Trans fats should be less than 1 percent of your daily calorie intake.

Monounsaturated fat has less hydrogen than either saturated or trans fat. It lowers total and LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol. Canola, olive and peanut oils are good sources of monounsaturated fat.

Polyunsaturated fat contains even less hydrogen than monounsaturated. It has the same health advantages as monounsaturated fat. The majority of your intake of fats should be from these two. Look for safflower, corn or soybean oils. Omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in fish, are especially beneficial for heart health.

Unless you have all the fats memorized the best thing to do is check food labels to see what types of fat and how much of each a food has in it. Even if it is a good fat there are calories to be considered also. Remember, each gram of fat has 2 times the calories in a protein or carbohydrate.

We learn over the years that we need to balance our diets with the right combination of fats protein and carbs in order to eat well. Good luck!