Eating too much of the wrong kind of fats can negatively affect your heart health. Fat is a necessary macronutrient that supports bodily functions, such as hormone production and vitamin absorption. Fats are also a major source of energy for your body. Instead of avoiding fat altogether, include heart-healthy unsaturated fats in your diet.
Significance
A high consumption of saturated fats, found primarily in animal products, can raise your bad cholesterol levels. Trans fatty acids, found in some commercially fried and processed foods, both increase your bad cholesterol levels and lower your good levels. The typical American diet that includes regular servings of red meat, eggs, cheese, bacon, snack crackers and fast food is high in these unhealthy fats.
Types
Heart-healthy fats include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated varieties. Omega-3 fats are a type of polyunsaturated fat that you must obtain from your diet. Omega-3 fats help lower your risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation and support brain function and development. Nutrition labels on foods usually break down the types of fats offered by the product, including trans fats.
Expert Recommendations
The American Heart Association recommends eating between 25 and 35 percent of daily calories from fat. The majority of these fats should be heart-healthy unsaturated varieties. Keep saturated fat to just 7 percent of total daily calories, or about 15 g for a 2,000-calorie diet. Trans fats should be avoided altogether and never make up more than 1 percent of daily calories. This translates into 2 g per day for a 2,000-calorie diet, but most Americans eat at least 6 g per day, reports the Harvard School of Public Health.
Sources
Eat foods like canola, peanut and olive oil to obtain monounsaturated fats. Avocados, nuts and sesame and pumpkin seeds are other sources of monounsaturated fats. Sunflower, corn and soybean oil are high in polyunsaturated fats. Omega-3 fats can be obtained from flax oil or ground flaxseeds, walnuts and fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel.
Considerations
Although food manufacturers are required to list trans fats on the nutrition label, they must only report amounts of .5 g or greater per serving. If you eat several servings of a food with .2 to .4 g of trans fats per serving, you may reach the 2 g limit unknowingly. Check the ingredient list of processed foods for partially hydrogenated oils and limit your intake of fast food to prevent overeating this man-made fat.
References
- PubMed.gov: Effects of Dietary Fatty Acids and Carbohydrates on the Ratio of Serum Total to HDL Cholesterol and on Serum Lipids and Apolipoproteins: A Meta-Analysis of 60 Controlled Trials.
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
