Your Guide to Healthy Fats!

Your guide to healthy fats!  There are four types of fats in foods. We need about 30 percent of our caloric intake to come from healthy fats. We should ingest a variety of healthy fats including saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. The one fat we should avoid is trans-fats. Here is a breakdown of each of the fats:

Saturated Fats– These are from animal sources like meat, butter, milk, eggs and cheese. We should only consume organic sources of these fats to avoid the added hormones and antibiotics which most farm animals are exposed to.
Monounsaturated fats– These are vegetable fats from sources such as sesame, olive oil, canola oil, avocados and nuts.
Polyunsaturated fats– These fats come from Omega 3 oils like fish oil, flaxseed oil, pumpkin seeds and walnut oils. They also include the Omega 6 oils from safflower, grape seed, and evening primrose. These are also called “essential fatty acids” which can only be obtained from dietary sources, our bodies cannot produce these fats.
Trans-fats– These are chemically produced fats which the body cannot process and therefore we treat as poisons. These fats come from margarine and hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. When mono and polyunsaturated fats are heated they form trans-fats. You should only cook with olive oil, which remains stable when heated.

Vital Functions of Healthy Fats:

• Cushioning of vital organs
• Synthesis of hormones
• Regulation of body temperature
• Absorption and transportation of fat soluble vitamins (A,D, E, and K)
• Addition of flavor to foods and creation of a feeling of fullness after a meal
• Creation of ATP- the body’s main source of energy

Signs of too much fat intake:

• Excess weight gain
• High LDL cholesterol levels
• Elevated triglycerides

Signs of too little fat intake:

• Aching joints or arthritis
• Cracked nails, dry skin and dry, limp hair
• Constipation
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Chest pain
• Hypertension
• Immune weakness

How to get enough healthy fats:

• Eat foods that contain natural sources of healthy fats
• Avoid trans-fats
• Supplement with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids