Bad Fats Vs Good Fats – What You Need to Know – Fats Are Not the Enemy

One of the first things that people look at when they are trying to lose weight is what they normally eat from day to day. Cutting back on fats is one of the first things they attempt. The reasoning behind this is relatively simple – to reduce the fat on your body, reduce the fat on your plate. Do not fall into this trap. Your body needs fat to function; removing it can make you unhealthy.

Along with other things, a properly functioning body required a daily consumption of fatty oils. These are not the only things they do but, the human body uses fats in the maintenance and creation of cells as well as aiding in absorbing nutrients. Avoiding them can be detrimental to your health.

Fat in general is not a bad thing; but certain kinds are. In general there are two major types: unsaturated (good) and saturated (bad) fats.

Do not view fat at your enemy, you will gain better results by learning the difference between the types. If you know where to find both types of fatty oils, you should not have to give up taste for health.

Healthy Fats

Good fats, what are they? The fats that I am talking about are unsaturated. Both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats fall into this category. Maintaining and growing healthy bodily tissue such as skin and organs relies on monounsaturated.

Which unsaturated fatty oil that you consume is not a big issue, both of them are healthy for you. Good cholesterol (HDL) is raised, and bad cholesterol (LDL) is lowered by monounsaturated. These cholesterol benefits are also found in polyunsaturated.

Two places you are sure to find these polyunsaturated fats are in seafood and vegetable oil. One health benefit of these fats is their abundance of omega-3s that help prevent heart problems. Mackerel, catfish, and salmon are good sources of these fatty acids.

Just as important as polyunsaturated are monounsaturated fats. A common physical trait is that they solidify if cooled down. Nuts such as hazel nuts, cashews, peanuts, and walnuts are a good source of these. Some nutritional benefits of monounsaturated fats is that they are a good source of vitamin E and very good antioxidants.

Unhealthy Fats

Bad fatty oils are found on the other end of the nutrition spectrum. I am talking about saturated fats. For those with heart problems, these are increase your bad cholesterol. Not only can these oils cause massive weight gain but diets high in them can lead to poor heart conditions.

Saturated fats can be found in dairy products, red meats, dome sea food, and eggs. They are not just found in animal products but also plant products such as corn oil, palm kernel, and coconut oil. To lose weight by burning fat, it only makes sense to reduce these fats in your diet. Bad fats have more calories per unit than good fats do.

Cutting down on bad fats may seem like a chore, but it is not that hard. You can take the cooking oils that are high in bad fats and replace them with oils low in bad fats. Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. You may want to switch to low fat dairy products too. The amount of unsaturated fats that you eat in a day should be greatly reduced by doing this.

Read the label on the cooking oil that you are using. The law requires producers to label containers with the kind of fatty oils their product contains.

Just remember, not all fats are weighted the same, stay away from saturated fats. Potato chips and milk chocolate, for example, may be what your taste buds are craving but they are pumped full of bad fats.