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Fats
Fats are absolutely essential to your diet. As described in Daily
Healthy Fats, fats are divided into two groups: saturated, and
unsaturated. Saturated fats are among the most common fats in our diet. They
are found in animal foods like meat, poultry, and full-fat dairy products, and
in tropical oils like palm and coconut. Diets high in saturated fats are
associated with higher risks of heart disease, certain cancers, and stroke.
Unsaturated fats are found in foods from both plant and animal sources.
Unsaturated fatty acids are further divided into monounsaturated fatty acids,
and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fats are found mostly in
vegetable oils such as olive, canola, and avocado. Polyunsaturated fats are
found in nuts and vegetable oils such as flaxseed, walnut, and soybean, and in
fatty fish.
Essential Fatty acids (EFA's) are unsaturated fats that we cannot manufacture or
synthesize, and therefore, must obtain from our diet. These are omega 3 fatty
acids, prevalent in cold-water fish, flaxseed, walnut, and canola oils and
omega-6 fatty acids, contained in sunflower, soybean, peanut, and corn oils.
The ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids in your diet should be
less than 1:4. Use olive oil or canola oil for cooking. Sprinkle the
nutty-tasting flaxseed over your cereal or salad, or add flaxseed meal when
baking.
Healthy fats should make up 20% to 30% of your diet. Fatty acids are so
important to your diet that Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos, in her book
The Omega Diet: The Lifesaving Nutritional Program Based on the Diet of the
Island of Crete, includes fats in five of her seven dietary
guidelines. Those five in brief are:
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Eat foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
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Use monounsaturated oils.
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Avoid saturated fat.
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Avoid oils that are high and omega-6 fatty acids.
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Reduce your intake of trans fatty acids.
Unsaturated fats that are partially hydrogenated become trans fatty acids. This
group of fats is known to raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower HDL (good)
cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. Trans fatty
acids are found in commercially packaged goods such as cookies and crackers,
commercially fried food such as French Fries from some fast food chains, other
packaged snacks such as microwaved popcorn, and in vegetable shortening and
some margarines. If you see "partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils" or
"shortening" on the package, it most likely contains trans fats. These fats
should be avoided.
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