GOOD FATS, BAD FATS, AND YOUR HEALTH

Why we NEED dietary fat:
1. To store energy
2. To help digest some vitamins (A,D,E,K) and phytonutrients (keep cells healthy)
3. To help make hormones

The PROBLEM:
High Cholesterol Foods + High Saturated Fat Foods = Increased chance of heart disease and some cancers.

GOOD guys vs. BAD guys:
Fat found in our food can be described as one of three triglycerides: Saturated, Monounsaturated, and Polyunsaturated.

GOAL
Limit Saturated fat (aka "bad fats") and increase Mono-and Polyunsaturated fats (aka "good fats"). Omega-3 and Omega-6 are two kinds of Polyunsaturates that, when consumed in the right ratio, appear to be health promoting.

BENEFITS of Omega-3 fatty acids:
Improved cardiovascular health
Reduced inflammation
Helps prevent blood clotting
Expands blood vessels (helps in lowering blood pressure)

HOW MUCH?
No more than 30% of your total calories in a day should come from fats. For a typical 2,000 calorie/day diet, that translates to 65 grams of fat. Only 10% or less of your total calories should be from "bad" or saturated fats (so...a max of 20g of saturated fat/day). This takes a conscious effort (consider that 1 cup of premium ice cream can hit you with 23g of saturated fat!!).

SOME GOOD FAT SOURCES

Monounsaturated: Most nuts, avacados, peanut oil, olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil.
Polyunsaturated (including Omega-3): Salmon, flaxseed, soybeans, wheat germ, sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil.

SOME BAD FAT SOURCES Saturated: Meats, eggs, butter, cheese, palm oil, ice cream, cream cheese, sour cream, etc.
Trans Fats (fats processed to become saturated): Stick margarine, Fast Foods

*Adapted from Tamara Schryver's article "Good Fats, Bad Fats, and Your Health" from www. NaturesPath.com (and the back of my cereal box!) :)