Monounsaturated fats are the healthiest type of fat to consume. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines recommend that all fats consumed consist of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat. Their function is to insulate organs from shock, maintain body temperature and keep cells functioning properly. Fats are also needed to help digest and absorb fat-soluble vitamins. The dietary guidelines recommend that monounsaturated fats represent 20 to 35 percent of calorie intake. The benefits of these fats include removal of the bad cholesterol in the blood and decreasing the risk for heart disease or stroke, explains the American Heart Association. Understanding the various food sources of monounsaturated fats is the first step to increasing consumption.
OIls, Nuts, Seeds and Legumes
The primary sources of monounsaturated fats come from plant sources. This is different from saturated fats as those come primarily from animal sources such as meat and dairy products. Vegetable oils have more monounsaturated fat per serving than any other source. In a 200-calorie serving, sunflower oil has 19 g, hazelnut oil has 18 g, safflower and olive oil have 17 g, canola has 14 g, and avocado and almond oil both have 16 g.
Nuts are not far behind the oils. In a 200-calorie serving, macadamia nuts have 17 g, hazelnuts 15 g, pecans 12 g, almond butter 12 g, raw almonds 11 g, cashew butter 10 g, cashews 10 g and pistachios 8 g. Acorns, beechnuts, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts and pine nuts all have less than 8 g of monounsaturated fat per 200-calorie serving.
Peanut butter and tofu are both in the legume family and have noteable amounts of monounsaturated fat.
Fruits
Fruit is another source of monounsaturated fat. The number of fruits with healthier fats -- or any fat at all -- is much smaller than in the nuts and oil category. Avocados and olives are the primary sources of monounsaturated fat for this category. Pickled green olives have the most, at 16 g per 200-calorie serving, and then fresh olives. California avocados have 12 g, and Florida avocados have 9 g per serving. Both olive oil and avocado oil are considerably high in monounsaturated fat.
Fish and Additional Foods
Fish is another category of food containing monounsaturated fat. Pickled herring has 9 g per 200-calorie serving, raw halibut has 9 g and sablefish has 8 g. Most other fish have much smaller amounts. Margarine spreads have monounsaturated fats added; the manufacturers of these spreads now use healthier monounsaturated fats in place of trans fat, which makes spreads such as these a heart-healthy choice in comparison with butter. Monounsaturated fats are known for their ability to help lower cholesterol and improve heart health.
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