Healthy Fats in a Diet Program for Weight Loss

All the confusion about whether or not to include fat in a diet program for weight loss can make your head spin. Some health reports will lead you to believe that eating any kind of fat while dieting will sentence you to a life of thunder thighs and heart trouble. This is definitely not the case.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can actually benefit your health. And although saturated fat is demonized in the health industry, it can also have a positive impact on your wellbeing. Your cell walls are made up of fat, and more than half of your brain is too. Your body needs fat to survive!

Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated Fats in Your Diet

Polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat in your diet helps reduce bad LDL cholesterol levels and increase the good HDL levels. These types of fats can also lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

One of the most important types of polyunsaturated fat to have in your diet is omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 can boost your brain function and improve the health of your heart. This healthy fat can also relieve symptoms of depression and bipolar, and reduce the risk of stroke, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.

People who suffer from painful conditions like arthritis may benefit from the inflammation-reducing effects of omega-3. If your ultimate goal is to lose weight, omega-3 can help suppress your appetite and rev up your metabolism. Since your body can't make this type of fat, the only way you can get it is through food or supplements.

Monounsaturated fats are abundant in olive oil, canola oil, hazelnuts, avocados, pecans and sesame seeds. Polyunsaturated fats are found in flaxseed oils, walnuts, fish, and sunflower.

Saturated Fats in Your Meal Plan

Although you hear a lot about saturated fats being the culprit of cardiovascular disease and other degenerative illnesses, this is not the case. Over the years, the use of saturated fat has declined, yet the instances of heart disease keeps going up.

Obviously, the problem is not the saturated fat itself, but the processed foods such as margarine, whole milk, cheese and substitute butter that this fat is used in. Eating saturated fats from healthy sources like coconut oil, whole organic eggs, avocados, and real, unprocessed butter can benefit your health.

Research suggests that saturated fatty acids help lower the risk of strokes, not cause them. Coconut oil has added perks. This saturated fat can actually boost your weight loss efforts because it's lower in calories than other fats, and it can help increase the metabolism.

Trans Fatty Acids in Your Diet

Trans fat, also known as "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" is the worst type of fat you can put into your body. Hydrogenated oil increase inflammation, raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol. Trans fatty acids also increases the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

Trans fat is made by a process called hydrogenation. During hydrogenation, liquid vegetable oil is mixed with hydrogen gas to make a solid. This type of fat is commonly found in fried foods, margarines, and store-bought cookies, cakes and doughnuts.

Manufacturers use trans fat because it is cheaper than other types of fats, and it lengthens the shelf life of foods. Trans fat can be heated repeatedly without breaking down, so restaurants commonly use it to fry foods.

While it is true that some types of fats can put you at risk for a number of diseases and conditions, eating polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats and saturated fats from quality food sources can have a positive impact on your long-term health. by Isabel De Los Rios