The Wellness of YOU! - # 199 - Good Fat — Bad Fat!
posted in Nutrition and Weight Loss |What’s all this talk about fat? I know that for me, the subject of fat does something to my brain. Whenever I think of fat I tend to think of that stuff so many of us carry around and wish we didn’t. We try to lose it — we try to hide it — we try to avoid it — and yet, we keep hearing that we all need it. No wonder it’s a topic that we try to avoid — it’s confusing. For example, when I look at the food label on some grocery product, I’m always trying to remember what the difference is between saturated and unsaturated fat — and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Fat is quite helpful to us. It helps to insulate our nerve cells — it helps to keep us warm — it watches over our hormones so they don’t get out of balance — it keeps our skin and arteries soft and supple — it also lubricates our joints and is a part of every cell in our bodies.
The question is — is it all good?
The answer is “NO!” It’s not all good. And, based on the difficulties we’re having in this country with body weight, we all need to learn more about what’s good and what isn’t. We need to learn what kinds of fat our bodies need and what kinds we don’t. We need information — and that’s what this article is about.
Two Types of Fat
This part is easy — one type of fat is “Saturated” fat. Thats’ the one we don’t need! It’s the enemy!
The other type is just the opposite — it’s “Unsaturated” fat. We need this fat — it’s one of the good guys.
Saturated fat is hard at room temperature. Our bodies do not need it. It comes from meat, eggs, butter, margarine and cheese. It’s hard to digest — and — get this — it’s loaded with cholesterol!
Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and have been divided into two groups. Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, and polyunsaturated fats such as sunflower oil.
Polyunsaturated fats are split into Omega 3 fatty acids and Omega 6 fatty acids. Monounsaturated fat (Omega 9) although not essential, is not harmful in moderation.
All about Monounsaturated fats and Polyunsaturated fats.
Have you ever wondered why your favorite olive oil salad dressing turns cloudy when it’s inside the refrigerator, but clears up when it’s left out? What about the layer of oil that forms on top of peanut butter when kept at room temperature?
The formation of oil that you see floating on top of peanut butter is the peanut oil and is an example of a monounsaturated fat, just like olive oil.
Monounsaturated fats contain fatty acids that lower blood cholesterol and are typically stored in liquid form when at room temperature. When refrigerated this healthy fat turns into a solid formation.
Excellent sources of monounsaturated fats are olives, olive and canola oil, peanuts, peanut butter, and all other varieties of nuts and seeds such as almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds.
Found mostly in fish, soy, and walnuts, polyunsaturated fats contain oils that are in liquid form at both room and refrigerator temperature. This type of fatty acid also helps in lowering your total blood cholesterol by decreasing the LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids are Omega 3 and the Omega 6. These fatty acids are said to contribute to reducing the risk of stroke, heart attack, and cancer. Omega 3 fatty acids are also known to lower the level of triglycerides.
Primary sources of polyunsaturated fats are found in a variety of fish such as tuna, trout, herring, salmon, and mackerel. These fatty acids are also found in oils such as soybean oil, corn oil, and safflower oil.
(If you’re wondering about the mono vs. poly when it comes to fat — that has to do with the science and the bonding of the molecules. Monounsaturated fat has one bond and polyunsaturated fat has two bonds. Saturated fat doesn’t have any bonds because we jammed a whole bunch of hydrogen into the fat to break the bonds. When the bonds are broken, the fat has no gaps and the fatty acids are tightly packed together. When they get into your blood stream they’ll clog your arteries. When your arteries get clogged, your risk of heart attacks increases accordingly and your cholesterol levels go up. That’s why those saturated fats are the enemy!)
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My email and phone number are at that site. Feel free to contact me. I’m here to help you with your health, nutrition and fitness goals.
Have a healthy and nutritious day!
Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)
Ron
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