“FATS” – these four letters often remind people of some kind of alarm or caution. Fats are often treated as a red light or a road mark that is not to be crossed. And like some taboo, apparently, most of the “health conscious” individuals have been avoiding fats for a while. But now scientists are taking a closer look to it. And what they found is amazing. This is more complex than what we have assumed about fats in the beginning. Not all kinds of fats are bad for health. Some fats are bad, as we’ve presumed, some can be taken in certain controlled amount and there are some fats, that are actually good for our health.
The BAD Fats: Avoid them as much as you can!
Yes. There indeed are some fats that you should avoid. Mainly Trans fats. Trans fats are made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil. Mostly used in packaged foods (like crisps, biscuits/cookies, and other processed goods). This helps the foods to be preserved for quite a long time. That might be a good thing from some standpoints, but that is not quite friendly to your health. And if you must eat trans-fat or food that are prepared with hydrogenated oil, make sure to as eat as less you can. However, processed food cooked with less than 0.5 gm trans-fat per serving are considered as trans-fat free food in some places, you might want to take that into consideration. Trans fats do horrid things to your body, a strong link is found between trans fat and vulnerability to dementia. Also, it is found it’s trans-fat that clogs the arteries of people, not saturated fat. So, trans fats are to be blamed for cardiac problems we all fear.
The GREY Fats: They are good in a certain amount!
Wait! Not literally! Of course, I’m not saying they are grey in color. But these fats fall in the grey area between good and bad. And I’m talking about Saturated fats.
Well, the saturated fats, previously blamed as the culprit for clogging arteries (which is actually done by trans fats), have some good sides too. Well, actually it is in your hand to make the best use of it. Because saturated fats are actually important for your health. But they must be taken in a certain amount. Overdosing in saturated fats can be harmful. But it’s highly recommended to get five to six percent of the calorie intake from saturated fat food sources. Saturated fat sources include red meat, fatty meats like salami, dairy products such as cream and butter, and thicker vegetable oils like coconut, palm, and kernel oil.
The GOOD Fats: Fats you should eat!
These fats are rather good for your health. And you should incorporate these fats into your daily diet more. These are unsaturated fats. However, there are two types of unsaturated fats, the Mono-unsaturated fats, and Poly-unsaturated fats.
Mono-unsaturated fats are found in canola and olive oils, avocados and all kinds of nuts. Poly-unsaturated fats are of two kinds, i.e.: Omega 3 and Omega 6. Omega 3 is found in flaxseeds, tuna and salmon oil and almond. Whereas Omega 6 is found in vegetable oils.
