Monunsaturated Fat Foods

Dietary fats are an essential part of any healthy diet. They help your body absorb fat soluble vitamins and contain essential fatty acids. Fat comes from the foods we eat and can be in many different forms, including saturated fat, unsaturated fat and cholesterol. Health experts recommend replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, which are typically liquid at room temperature. Monounsaturated fats are one type of unsaturated fat and can be found in a variety of oils, nuts and seeds.

MUFAs and PUFAs

Monounsaturated fats, or MUFAs, contain one double bond and while they are liquid at room temperature, they may start to solidify when put into the refrigerator. Polyunsaturated fats, or PUFAs, are the other type of unsaturated fat. They contain two or more double bonds in their structure and are also liquid at room temperature. Both types of unsaturated fats are considered healthy fats when eaten in moderation and used to substitute for saturated fat.

Health Benefits

Although they do not contain fewer calories per gram, when you replace saturated fats with MUFAs or PUFAs, you can gain certain health benefits. MUFAs can help lower your LDL cholesterol or the bad cholesterol and may decrease your overall risk for heart disease. MUFAs may also help with insulin and blood sugar control, which may benefit patients with diabetes. Many MUFAs also contain Vitamin E, which is important for your immune system and acts as a powerful antioxidant.

Recommended Intake

The Institute of Medicine recommends your total fat intake to be 25 to 35 percent of your total daily calories. For example, if you follow a 2,000-calorie diet, your total fat intake would be 55 to 77 grams of total fat per day. While there is no specific recommendation for MUFAs, most of your fat intake should come from unsaturated fats. To ensure most of your fat calories come from unsaturated fat sources, choose liquid oil products over solid fats and choose lower fat options when available.

Food Sources

Oils that are high in MUFAs include olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, and sesame oil. One tablespoon of olive oil contains 9.8 grams of MUFAs while one tablespoon of canola oil contain 8.9 grams of MUFAs. Foods that contain MUFAs include avocados, almonds, cashews, pecans, and sesame seeds. One half cup of avocado contains 7.1 grams of MUFAs and 1 oz. of dry roasted cashews contains 7.7 grams of MUFAs.