You may know that in order to lose weight, you must avoid foods that are high in fat. But not every fat is the dangerous kind that will clog your arteries and cause weight gain. It is imperative that you consume some fat in your diet -- it helps the brain function, controls blood clotting and keeps your hair and skin healthy. Learn which fats may put you at risk for heart disease and which fats are healthier options.
Significance
Good fats, like polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, are healthier options than bad fats like saturated fat, trans fat and dietary cholesterol. This does not mean, however, that you can eat as much good fat as you want. Aim for 35 percent of your daily caloric intake to come from fat. This should include mostly good fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, with bad fats eaten only sparingly.
Saturated Fat
Saturated fat is a potentially harmful fat that is found in eggs, fish and other seafood, lard, butter, palm oil, coconut oil, eggs, chicken, meat and dairy products. Saturated fat will increase your levels of low-density lipoprotein, or bad cholesterol, in the blood. High levels of low-density lipoprotein may put you at risk for heart attack, stroke and other complications due to heart disease. Aim for less than 10 percent of your caloric intake to be from saturated fat to keep your low-density lipoprotein levels low.
Trans Fat
Trans fat is considered the most harmful fat because it can raise low-density lipoprotein levels significantly. Aim to eat as little trans fat as possible, but preferably none at all. Trans fat is found in store-bought baked goods like prepackaged muffins and cakes, hydrogenated vegetable oil, margarine, vegetable shortening and some fried foods, like french fries from some fast food restaurants. Even if a product's label says that it contains zero grams of trans fat, it still may contain trace amounts of trans fat that build up in the bloodstream.
Dietary Cholesterol
Dietary cholesterol is found in seafood, chicken, eggs, dairy, butter, lard and meat. Dietary cholesterol raises the total cholesterol levels and levels of low-density lipoprotein in the bloodstream, putting you at risk for heart disease and stroke. Aim to eat no more than 300mg per day of dietary cholesterol per day. Substituting polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, like olive oil for butter or lard in recipes will help lower your intake of dietary cholesterol.
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