Did you know?

Did you know that the body needs certain amounts of fat to function properly? Most people think of fats are being a bad guy and is related to heart disease, cholesterol levels, and other diseases.

Actually, fats are a necessary part of our healthy eating plan. Fats help cushion organs, help keep us insulated, and help transport and store certain vitamins. In babies and young children, fat is necessary for growth and brain development.

It's important to focus on what fats you are eating. There are differences among the different types of fat that we consume. You should be replacing heart-healthy good fats for the bad or unhealthy fats. Here are the different types of fat and how much we should be eating of each of these.

Total fat listed on a food label will include all the fats in that food. Saturated and trans fat will be listed and counted in that total. Unsaturated fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) may or may not be listed, but they will be counted in the total even if they are not listed. If the saturated fats and trans fat do not add up to the total fat grams and unsaturated fats are not listed, they will account for that difference in the total. For instance, if you look at the food label for peanuts, you will see the total fat grams listed, but most of it will be unsaturated.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and found mostly in animal-based foods. Meat, poultry, butter, whole milk, and other whole milk products are the biggest sources. Fried foods or other foods that have coconut, palm, or palm kernel oil also have saturated fats, so look for these in your ingredient list. Saturated fats raise total cholesterol as well as LDL (bad) cholesterol, so we should limit these to no more than 10% of our total calories, or 20 grams daily for a 2,000 calorie diet daily.

Trans fats or hydrogenated fats are found in fried foods and bakery items, muffins, cookies, and crackers (they help increase the shelf life). There are some naturally-occuring in animal products, but those are not thought to be as bad as the ones in fried foods and bakery foods. Trans fats raise total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol and they may even lower good (HDL) cholesterol. Current recommendations are that we get none or very little trans fat in our eating plans. No more than a few grams a day is recommended. Read the food label and ingredient list to make sure you are not getting much trans or hydrogenated fat.

Polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and are considered heart-healthy. Vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, soybean, and sesame) are sources of polyunsaturated fats. They help lower total cholesterol, as well as bad (LDL) cholesterol.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat that are especially healthy for the heart. EPA and DHA are the two that are found in fish. They help reduce clotting in the arteries and keep the arteries elastic. They also lower triglycerides and total cholesterol. ALA is an omega-3 that is found in plant foods, such as walnuts and flaxseed.

Monounsaturated fats are also liquid at room temperature and are considered heart-healthy too. Canola and olive oil are sources of monounsaturated fats. They lower total cholesterol, bad (LDL) cholesterol, and may even raise good (HDL) cholesterol.

It's important to replace saturated and trans fat with the heart-healthy fats. If you just add heart-healthy fats to your diet, you are just making your diet higher in fat, which is not the best thing. Read your food labels to see what types of fats you are getting.