Good Fats
by Sharon Cullars
We have all heard how fats can cause obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease. But avoiding all fats can be just as detrimental. There are fats we need in our daily diet to keep us healthy. Those health-promoting fats are known as “good” fats.
What exactly are the good fats? Well, first, let’s look at fats as we know them. Natural fats are either saturated or unsaturated, the saturated fats coming mainly from animal fats such as butter, beef or lard. We know these fats as solid fats that are waxy in appearance (and remain so at room temperature); these are the fats that can clog our arteries over time with too much consumption.
Unsaturated fats, however, are mainly vegetable oils such as canola and olive oils. These oils, as well as oils that come from seeds, leafy greens or sea vegetables, are good because they supply essential fatty acids from the groups omega-3 and omega-6. Both omegas regulate blood pressure, blood clotting, immune response as well as childbirth.
Americans tend to eat too many saturated fats, raising the risk of coronary disease. Experts agree that by limiting our total fat intake to 30 percent, with no more than 10 percent coming from saturated fats, we can reduce this risk. Limiting these fats means cutting back on consumption of meats, butter, ice cream and commercial baked goods. At the same time, we have to increase our intake of fish, flaxseed, canola and olive oils that help us avoid certain chronic conditions.
Fish, in particular, benefits us by raising our HDL (good) cholesterol and at the same time lowering our total cholesterol. European studies also show that eating fish or taking fish oil may prevent incidents of breast and colon cancer. The best types of fish are those from the deep cold waters that include salmon, tuna, mackerel, lake trout, anchovies, and herring.
When searching for oils and oil supplements, look for the following:
- "certified organic" on the label
- oils in dark bottles (light tends to degrade the oil)
- oils sold in the refrigerated section because they are less likely to go rancid
- the fine print indicating "use-by" recommendation; these dates protect freshness.
So next time you think about cutting the fat, make sure that you don’t include the good ones. They are life savers.
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