Good V/S Bad fats


Author: andy352
Fats are classified into three categories- good fats, bad fats, possibly-not-so-bad fats and very bad fats. Conventional perceptions on all fats have altered to a vast extent. Earlier, all fats were deemed unwholesome and were considered the cause of all kinds of chronic illness leading from cardiovascular to diabetes. But time has changed and so do our mindset. We now start proposition that all fats are not created equal.

For many years nutritionist and doctors have preached us that low-fat diet is the key to fitness or long lasting healthy diet. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, lowers the cholesterol, and manages several other health related problems. Conspicuously, what the matters is the type of fat we consume rather than the amount of fat we consume. Bad fat increases cholesterol as well as the risk of falling ill whereas good fats protects heart and supports overall health. In fact, good fats—such as omega-3 fats—are essential to physical and emotional health.

Many people still need to be convinced that the term good fat is not an oxymoron. These unsaturated fats help to fight various diseases that consuming excess fats was said to cause. The unsaturated fats are further divided into mono-saturated and poly-unsaturated fats and both these types of fats are considered to be beneficial effects on the cholesterol level.Mono-saturated fats lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol whereas boosts HDL (good) cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fats are said to lower both total and bad cholesterol. But mono-saturated fats are widely preferred over polyunsaturated fats; as they are less stable and reduce the level of good cholesterol also.Polyunsaturated fats are excellent form of omega-3 fatty acid, found mostly in cold-water fish, nuts, oils and seeds, dark leafy greens, flaxseed oil and some of the vegetable oils. Omega-3 fatty acid is essential for the normal functioning of the body, our body does not produce omega-3 fatty acid thus consuming these foods are the only way to consume this good fat. Omega-3 fatty acid helps to control the blood pressure, combat LDL (bad) cholesterol, fights inflammation, protects the brain and nervous system as well.

Most of the cooking oils are generally made up of unsaturated fats. Each type of cooking oil varies from one another in terms of ratio of mono-saturated and polyunsaturated fats. Two oils stand out for their high levels of monounsaturated fats: canola oil and olive oil. Other than nonstick cooking spray, these two oils should be in your pantry.Saturated fats are deliberated as the bad fats. Saturated fats are said to increase the total and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Conventional advice has been to avoid them as much as possible. Saturated are widely found in animal products like red meat and whole milk dairy products. Poultry and fish also contain saturated fat, but less than red meat. Other sources of saturated fat include tropical vegetable oils such as coconut oil and palm oil. Saturated and Trans fats are said to be bad fats because they elevated the risk of diseases and reduces good cholesterol. Thus try eliminate or limit the consumption of trans fat and saturated fats and increase the amount of omega-3 fatty acid in diet for maximum health benefits.
good fats, bad fats

About the Author

This article has been written and posted by a health advisor working at bookmydoctor.com, who also provides free of cost consultancy to patients and advise on various topics like Fats Good By visiting the site, you can read articles on Fats are Bad and Fats are Good and For more information click the Hyperlink.