THE TRUTH ABOUT FAT

A dietitian’s guide to good and bad lipids.

Unsaturated Fats

These lower your “bad” blood cholesterol levels and may even guard against Parkinson’s disease. There are two kinds: monounsaturated fat (found in avocados, nuts and olive oil), which may help with weight control; and polyunsaturated fat (found in foods such as sunflower oil, corn oil, flax and fatty fish), which can reduce our risk of heart disease.

Canada’s Food Guide recommends including 30 to 45 mL of unsaturated fat in your diet daily. This could be a little olive oil for salad dressing, a smear of mayonnaise in your sandwich, or soft margarine dabbed on toast or veggies. (A word of caution: stick to soft margarine made from healthy oils such as canola, olive and sunflower, and steer clear of the hard variety.)

Saturated Fats

Found in butter, lard, shortening, red meat, poultry skin and full-fat milk products, saturated fats tend to raise “bad” cholesterol levels. However, research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that saturated fat may not be linked to heart disease after all. Furthermore, coconut oil, which is mostly saturated fat, may even help to raise “good” cholesterol. While more study is needed, it’s recommended you limit foods that contain saturated fat.

Then there are trans fats, which raise “bad” cholesterol and lower “good” cholesterol. These fats are produced from partially hydrogenated oils, a common ingredient in many deep-fried foods and storebought baked goods.

By Sue Math (from Best Health) in "Reader's Digest", Canadian edition, vol.184, n. 1105, May 2014. excerpt p.50. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.