Unsaturated Fat foods (Good fat foods): avocado, cashews, soybean, peanut, corn, canola, olive oils
Saturated Fat foods (Bad fat foods): cheese, chocolate, coconut oil
Trans Fat foods (Worst fat foods): cake, doughnuts, crackers, cookies
Good Fat Vs Bad Fat Foods: What to Eat and What to Avoid?
Battle of Good Fat and Bad Fat: What to Eat and What to Avoid?
There are majorly three types of fats that act differently for our bodies. Where unsaturated fat is good for body functions, saturated and trans fats are bad for the body and health. Let’s know more about good fat and bad fat with reasons why they are called good or bad fat for our health!
Saturated Fat
These fats are found solid in state at room temperatures, such as coconut oil and butter. You can say them bad fats as they cause negative impacts and bad health effects. Saturated fats are associated with the risk of heart diseases, weight gain problems, stroke, and also are responsible for raising blood cholesterol.
So you should avoid eating food that is high in saturated fat as there are no major benefits of eating on health.
Example of Saturated Fats
Animal Fat, meat and meat products, desserts based on grain, dairy products, etc.
Unsaturated Fat
These fats are found in the liquid state at room temperature, such as olive oil. You can shake hands with unsaturated fats as they are good fats for health. These fats indeed lower the risk of heart diseases easing the heart rhythms. It is also said to minimize the risk of some other dreaded diseases like cancer. In addition, these fats raise the level of good cholesterol, improve blood cholesterol levels, and lower bad cholesterol.
Types of Unsaturated Fat
Unsaturated fats can be divided further into two types of fats: Mono Unsaturated Fat and Polyunsaturated Fat, which we should include in our daily diet in moderation.
Popular Sources of Unsaturated Fat
Most of the vegetable oils that are found in the liquid state at room temperature are sources of unsaturated fat.
Examples of Unsaturated Fats
Trans Fat
Trans fats are also known as Trans Fatty Acids. They are worst than saturated fats and super bad for cholesterol levels.
Types of Trans Fat
There are two types of trans fats available.
- Naturally Found Trans Fat
- Artificial Trans Fat
The guts of some animals and animal foods are the prime sources of naturally found trans fat.
Artificial trans fats are made through various industrial processes in which some hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to make them solid.
Examples of Trans Fat
- Fried foods
- Baked food items
- Processed foods
What is Bad Fat? Why Trans Fat Are Not Good?
Bad fats simply mean those types of fats which are harmful to health and give adverse effects on our bodies. Trans fats might be the cause of diseases like the low sight or even blindness. Fats and too many cholesterol-containing foods are usually in solid form at room temperature. For example, animal meat and butter can be responsible for damage to organs.
The Bottom Line: Which Fats Are Good for Body and Health?
- Trans fat foods are the worst.
- Saturated fat foods are bad.
- Unsaturated fat contains unsaturated fatty acids so, unsaturated fat foods like nuts, avocado, rapeseed, olive, sunflower oil, and seeds are good. You can go with plant-based oils and foods which are fat-rich.
List of Fat Rich Foods: Major Food Sources of Fat
List of Saturated Fat Foods
- Red Meat
- Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Palm Oil
- Ice Cream
- Whole Milk
- Cheese
- Sea Food
- Chocolate
List of Unsaturated Fat Foods
List of Mono Unsaturated Fat Foods
- Olive oil
- Peanut oil
- Canola oil
- Peanuts
- Cashews
- Almonds
- Avocados
List of Poly Unsaturated Fat Foods
- Fish
- Soybean oil
- Safflower oil
- Corn oil
- Cottonseed oil
- Fish oil
List of Trans Fat Foods
- Margarine
- Cakes
- Imitation cheese
- Cookies
- Crackers
- Doughnuts
- Dairy products
- Meats
- Snack chips
- Deep-fried foods
- Peanut butter
Eye-Opener: Why You Need to Eat Fat?
Now here you are the eye-opener and amazing fact about fat which is: ‘Fat burns fat’.
Some medium-chain triglycerides incorporating eatables and liquids like milk fat, coconut oil, and palm oil are easy to absorb, digest, and reuse as energy. They help in burning fat through increased metabolism. Athletes use these fats to increase their endurance when they are performing heavy workouts or exercises.
People think fat is bad, but actually, it is not necessarily that bad. Fat helps maintaining the body weight, fulfills the energy requirement in the absence of carbohydrate, protects our body organs, and keep our cell membranes safer.
Then Why People Say Fat is Bad? Doesn’t Fat Make You Fatty?
It depends on you, which fat do you take in your diet? All the fatty foods like French fries, pizza, hamburgers are not good at all and they do make you fat. These types of fats are terrible for your health.
Fat as Greatest Energy House
Fat contains an amazing amount of energy, 9 calories per gram, which is more than carbohydrate, protein, or any other nutrient.
Fat Mechanism: Why Our Body Needs Fat?
Majorly, fat is used for absorbing nutrients like fat-soluble vitamins. It is also important for providing energy to our body when we get unable to intake carbohydrates or our body gets unable to use the available carbs.
Fat Functions
- Other than supplying energy, fats are used in building cell membranes, insulation, and cushioning organs.
- Fat plays an important role in maintaining the core temperature of the body.
Fat Benefit
- Fat provides long-term energy to the body. It’s an important nutrient to intake in winters or for those who live in a cold climate as it keeps the body warm by providing a layer of insulation.
- Fats are helpful for healthy skin and hair too. The energy which is provided by fat is beneficial in performing the exercise and moving around.
Examples of healthy fat
- Olive Oil
- Fish like salmon, herring, tuna, and sardines
- For light fat, you can go with vegetables like carrots and celery.
Why and When Fat is Dangerous?
When we collect too much fat, it makes our body heavy and dangerous for health. In such a state you get prone to diseases like fatty liver which is a state where your liver contains too many fats. You can get rid of such troubles by eating different food. One can find the association of fat with metabolic syndrome as well.
Too much of anything is bad. Every nutrition has its own significance. Fats are associated with severe disadvantages though. Some of the major harms that fat causes are hear-failure and other heart-related issues in which the rate of leading the blood flow decreases. The blood does not flow properly and is stuck in the lungs and veins.
For fast and better improvements in your health, playing games and adjusting foods and drinks can be beneficial. If you are worried about how to deal with fats, then eating a balanced diet and exercise are two prime solutions to the fatty body and fat-causing diseases. Don’t forget, the right amount of all the nutrients is the key to have a healthy diet and healthy physic.
How Much Fat Do You Need in Daily Diet as Per Age?
Adults are recommended to intake less than 30% of their daily calories from fats.
If you are taking 2000 calories every day, you can take about 65 grams of fat. Here you can avoid Trans fat. It is suggested to take 7 to 10% of calories from saturated fat, 10 to 15% of fat from monounsaturated fat, and about 10% of calories from polyunsaturated fat.
Now when you know there are good fats too, you don’t need to avoid the complete fat family. Plus I hope now you will not get confused about good fat and bad fat or what to eat and what not to eat. Stay happy! Have all the nutrients!
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