With all the hype and uproar in the recent times about trans fats and the ill effects that their consumption poses to your health, be sure that danger lurks near. Fats in your diet are a frequently talked-about and a much debated topic. However, more than the amount of fat in your diet, it is the nature of fat in your diet that determines your health: mental, physical, and emotional.
Different Types Of Fat
Fats can be broadly categorized into good and bad fats. Whereas good fats protect your heart, brain, nervous system, the individual cells in your body and your overall health, consumption of bad fats place you at higher risk of developing certain degenerative diseases and increase your cholesterol. Though low-fat foods have become immensely popular, paradoxically obesity is on the rise like never before. Therefore, it is good for you to substitute healthy good fats instead of the bad ones in your diet to stay fit and healthy for the longer part of your life.
The major types of fats that form a part of our diets are the following:
- Monounsaturated fats,
- Polyunsaturated fats,
- Saturated fats, and
- Trans fats.
Of these, the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the good fats and the saturated and trans fats are the bad fats.
Olive oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, nuts, avocados, etc., are some of the monounsaturated fats. Examples of polyunsaturated fats include flax seeds, fish oils, soybean oil, tofu, etc.
Butter, ice cream, cheese, palm oil, and other whole-fat dairy products are examples of saturated fats. Trans fats are found in packaged cookies, cakes, packaged snacks, candy bars, vegetable shortening, fried foods, etc.
Bad fats increase cholesterol in your body. Here are some facts about cholesterol:
- Cholesterol is a fatty wax-like substance that is actually required by your body for its proper functioning.
- Too much of cholesterol can impact your health negatively.
- Some cholesterol is produced by your body in the liver. The rest is obtained from the food that you eat. Eggs, meat, and dairy products are the sources of cholesterol. Both together contribute to the blood cholesterol levels.
- Total cholesterol in the body is made up of HDL and LDL cholesterols.
- HDL cholesterol should be kept at high levels and is the good cholesterol. LDL cholesterol, or the bad cholesterol, in the blood should be kept at low levels. They can clog arteries.
- The amount of cholesterol in the blood is more influenced by the type of fat consumed than the direct cholesterol intake.
- Replacing bad fats with good fats in the diet serves to reduce dietary cholesterol.
- Monounsaturated fats decrease LDL cholesterol levels in the blood.
- Polyunsaturated fats decrease triglyceride levels in the blood and are anti-inflammatory. Triglyceride is a form of fat found in the blood other than cholesterol. High levels of triglycerides in the blood increase the risk of heart disease.
Limiting saturated fats and eliminating trans fats in your regular diet is thus the healthier option. The USDA recommends a daily total fat intake of 35% of the calories consumed in a day. Saturated fats should be less than 10% and trans fats less than 1% of the total fat intake.
Some Basic Information About Trans Fats
Trans fats are found in hydrogenated vegetable oils. In the early 1900s, liquid oils were hydrogenated to harden the fats and fish oils were stabilized to be made fit for human consumption. Hydrogenated fats were used in plenty when it was discovered that they had superior properties when they were used in baking. They could extend the shelf life and provide a crisper texture to the baked items. They consequently replaced lard in the manufacture of cookies, cakes, breads and other bakery goodies. They became immensely popular because of their lower costs.
Trans fat is an unsaturated fat. These good fats are partially saturated with hydrogen to extend their shelf life. The link between trans fats and CAD was established as early as the mid 1950s but the concerns were not taken seriously. However, some studies conducted in the early 1990s established a clear connection between trans fats and CAD. Thereafter, mandatory labeling on food products that indicates the amount of trans fats present was introduced since 2006. As consumption of trans fats increases the risk of CAD, it is recommended that only trace values of trans fats be included in your diet. They are not beneficial to your health in any quantity whatsoever. It is a wise idea to totally eliminate trans fats from your diet wherever possible.
Ways to Steer Clear of Trans Fats
- Avoid baked foods like crackers, muffins, pizza dough, cookies, etc.
- Stay away from fried foods like French fries, fried chicken nuggets, other deep fried food, etc.
- Say ‘no’ to microwaved popcorn, potato chips, corn chips, etc.
- Do not use vegetable shortening or stick margarine.
- Do not buy premixed foods like cake and ice cream mixes.
- Be wary of ‘hydrogenated vegetable oil’ label on food products.
- Stay away from fast food.
- If you eat out at a restaurant, make it a point to find out with in what oil the food has been prepared. Shun food that is prepared using partially hydrogenated oils.
How to Consume Good Fats
- Cook more with olive oil than with other vegetable oils or butter.
- Eat more avocados and use them as spread for breads instead of butter. They make a satisfying meal.
- Use nuts in your dishes instead of breadcrumbs.
- Avoid commercial dressings for salads.
- It is healthier to snack on olives than other fried stuff that you can buy off the shelf.
- Take omega 3 fatty acids on a daily basis. Some advantages of omega 3 fatty acids are listed below:
- They maintain the suppleness of blood vessels and individual cell walls, enabling efficient nutrient transfer.
- They protect against memory loss and dementia.
- Their anti-inflammatory properties ease arthritis and associated joint inflammation and pain.
- They reduce the risk of CAD, stroke, and cancer.
The most sensible way to consume fats would thus be to limit intake of saturated fats, eliminate intake of trans fats, and eat omega 3 fats on a daily basis. The message that you can pass on is: avoid trans fats altogether!
