Fats in Your Diet
by dietitian and nutritionist Alison Bencke
Note: these tips should not replace advice from your physician. Always check with your physician before making any changes to your eating habits.
Fats in Your Diet
There are three major types of fatty acids in your food: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Three fatty acids (fat) types are joined on a common backbone to make a molecule called a triglyceride.
Any combination of fats can occur; however, different foods have varying compositions of these fats.
Saturated fats
Most people are aware that saturated fats are considered 'bad' for health and there is no evidence that
humans need saturated fat in their diet.
Such fats predominately occur in animal foods. Conflicting data exists about the views for coconut and palm oil which also include large amounts of saturated fats.
Saturated fats from animal sources are usually
solid at room temperature, and are found in butter, cheese, and milk fats. They may be invisible or visible
fat in meat. Low fat alternatives to milks and yogurts can be eaten daily and reduced fat cheeses in
moderation (they still contain saturated fats). "Trans" fats found in some processed foods may be as
dangerous as saturated fats for human health.
Monounsaturated fats
They are useful in your diet as they keep the omega-3 fats high while not contributing significant
saturated or omega-6 fats. Olive and canola oils are examples of predominantly monounsaturated fats.
Polyunsaturated fats
The important dietary polyunsaturated fats to pay attention to are omega-3 and omega-6 fats.
These fats compete in your body to use the same enzymes. While one of the omega-6 fats, linoleic acid (LA),
is essential, modern diets high in polyunsaturated fats probably supply too much omega-6 fat.
Omega-3 fats have been shown to be anti-inflammatory. Thus, it is felt, a balance is needed between omega-3 and omega-6 fats. Deep sea fish such as sardines, salmon, tuna and mackerel are noticeably oily and not surprisingly have the highest concentration of omega-3 fats. Fish oils containing the long chained omega-3 fats give the greatest anti-inflammatory effect.
To increase the anti-inflammatory fats in your diet:- Eat fish regularly, preferably oily fish. At least twice a week.
- Omega-3 enriched yogurts and milks are available or choose low fat products so that you do not swing the omega balance toward the omega-6 fats. Avoid grain fed meats (grass fed meats have higher omega-3), butter, cream and snack foods.
- Use canola, flaxseed or linseed oils. Also, olive and walnut oils have reasonable omega-3 fats without excessive amounts of omega-6.
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