Polyunsaturated fats are a category of health-promoting unsaturated fats. According to sources such as the Mayo Clinic website, the American Heart Association and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, when choosing fats your best option is to choose foods rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. If you consume these fats in place of saturated and trans fats, which are unhealthy types of fats, you may lower your blood cholesterol levels and thus your risk of heart disease.
Fish
There are two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids you must obtain from foods -- omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. While Americans typically consume more than enough omega-6 fatty acids, that is not the case with omega-3 fatty acids, which offer many health benefits, such as reducing inflammation in the body. Omega-3 fatty acids decrease LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels and may slightly reduce blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. The most potent form of omega-3 fat, eicosapentanoic acid or EPA, is found in all seafood; but levels are especially high in fattier fish. Types of fish particularly rich in EPA include salmon, especially Atlantic wild salmon, as well as sardines, mackerel, herring, trout and fresh tuna.
Flax Seeds, Walnuts and Oils
Flax seeds and walnuts, as well as their respective oils, are excellent vegan-friendly food sources of another type of omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. All salad and cooking oils contain a mixture of the three main types of fatty acids -- polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated. The fatty acid found in the largest quantity in a particular oil, or the predominant fatty acid, typically determines its category. The oils richest in polyunsaturated fats include safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower-seed and corn oils, according to the American Heart Association. Soft tub margarine-like spreads made from these oils are also rich sources of polyunsaturated fats.
Legumes and Seeds
Peanuts are a technically a legume like soy, not a nut, despite their name. Peanuts and peanut butter contain a blend of unsaturated fats but are a good food source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Soybeans, a particularly high-protein, versatile and nutritious legume, are also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. A 100 g serving of cooked soybeans offers 9 g of total fat, 5 g from polyunsaturated fatty acids. Pumpkin and sesame seeds are other food sources; but according to the website Nutrition Value, aside from flax seeds, sunflower seeds provide the most of this type of unsaturated fat. Roughly 75 percent of the fat in sunflower seeds is in the form of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Nutrition and Healthy Eating: Dietary fats: Know which types to choose
- American Heart Association: Polyunsaturated Fats
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans--Fats
- American Heart Association: Fish 101
- Nutrition Value: Peanuts, all types, dry-roasted, with salt
- Nutrition Value: Soybeans, mature cooked, boiled, without salt
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