All Fats Are Not Created Equal

 Fat. Just the sound of that word doesn’t sound good. And the sight of it? Even worse.

But until the 1990s, fat had always been an accepted part of our meals. Then suddenly it was bad. Really bad. The fat free movement was spurred on by the advertising industry when they discovered that foods with ‘low-fat’ labeling sold better.

Now that the low-fat marketing fad has basically come and gone and trans-fats are soon to be eliminated from processed foods and restaurants, the truth is, not all fat is bad. Shocking, isn’t it.

When it comes down to it, there are basically two kinds of fat – saturated and unsaturated.

Saturated fats are generally found in animal products and processed foods – red meat, dairy products and deli meats. These are definitely not heart-healthy foods.

On the other hand, unsaturated fats are good for your heart and generally come from plants – like nuts, avocados and olives. And they’re not only healthier, they’re quite tasty and can easily replace foods loaded with saturated fats.

Here are 5 recommendations for replacing bad fats with good fats:

• When it comes to snack time, skip the greasy chips and nibble on a variety of nuts or even half an avocado.
• Instead of red meats for protein, choose from a variety of fresh fish or vegetarian meals made of beans or other legumes, like peas and alfalfa.
• When cooking, switch out butter or lard for healthy oils, including canola, olive, corn, sesame, sunflower or soybean.
• If you like milk, drink fat-free or one percent. Same goes for yogurt, cheese and sour cream. You can still enjoy these delicious dairy products – just opt for a lower fat version.
• When it comes time for dessert, pass on the high-fat cake, pie and ice cream and enjoy fruit or a light sorbet.

A healthy diet allows for almost everything in moderation, but choosing unsaturated fats more often give you a host of benefits. You’ll be avoiding the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancers related to an over consumption of saturated fat. And be sporting a trimmer waistline to boot.

Sources

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/top-food-sources-of-saturated-fat-in-the-us/

http://cholesterol.about.com/cs/faq/f/difference.htm

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats-full-story/

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