Fats Part II - Mono, Poly, Trans and Saturated?

Fats are essential for a healthy functioning body. That does not mean that we load up on just about any fat. Fats are of different types -some are better than others while some should be totally avoided. 

So what are they? Lets find out.
Fats are commonly called unsaturated, saturated and trans fats. 

The good kind of fats that we should try to get for our bodies are the unsaturated kind. We will look at what makes a fat saturated or unsaturated in a later blog.

Unsaturated fats could be of two kinds - mono and poly unsaturated fats.

Monounsaturated Fat:
This is a type of fat found in plant based foods and fish. Eating foods which contain monounsaturated fats reduces the blood cholesterol levels - which is a good thing.  It can decrease the risk of heart disease. Monounsaturated fats can help those with diabetes by regulating sugar. 

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in cells. If too much concentration of cholesterol takes place in our arteries it can clog  our arteries caused heart disease.  

Polyunsaturated Fat:
This type of fat found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. Eating foods with polyunsaturated fats helps improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. Polyunsaturated fats can also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Saturated Fat:
This is a type of fat that comes mainly from animal sources of food, such as red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products (whole milk, etc). Saturated fat raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density cholesterol levels. It can increase risk of cardiovascular disease. Saturated fat can also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Trans Fat:
This is a type of fat that does not naturally come in foods. But most trans fats are made from oils through a food processing method called 'partial hydrogenation'. Hydrogenated oils become easier to cook with and are less likely to spoil when compared to naturally occurring oils. However, partially hydrogenated trans fats can increase unhealthy cholesterol and lower healthy cholesterol. They are bad for our health.

When looking at labels, try to avoid foods with Trans and Saturated fats and try to find foods that have healthy amounts of Mono and Poly unsaturated fats.