Macronutrients in our diet:
So what do the big long words you are reading on your food label really mean, and how can you tell the difference between a good fat and a bad one?
Saturated fats
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are found in abundance in animal food products, such as meats, cheese, milk, and butter.
Tropical oils—palm, palm kernel, and coconut oils—are also saturated fats. Generally speaking, they are inexpensive and not very healthy fats, but they are put in the food to make them taste better.
Monounsaturated fats
Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and predominate in foods such as olive oil, canola oil, almonds, and avocados. These are natural sources of fats that are high in nutrients.
Polyunsaturated fats
Like monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. They make up the majority of the fats in safflower, sunflower, and corn oils; certain kinds of so-called fatty fish; and nuts such as walnuts. The polyunsaturated fats found in plants are called omega-6 fats. Fish contains both omega-6 fats and another type of fat called omega-3.
Small amounts of omega-3 fat are also found in plant foods such as walnuts and soy, canola, and flaxseed oils.
Omega fatty acids have become of particular interest recently for their heart-healthy and other disease-fighting properties.
Trans fats
Trans fats are unsaturated fats (although they are more solid and shelf stable than other unsaturated fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), but they act like saturated fats in the body.
Trans fats are found in many packaged cookies, crackers, and other baked goods as well as in commercially prepared fried foods and most margarines. They are notoriously artery-clogging, and in fact are thought to be so bad for you that New York City instituted a full ban on trans fats in all public restaurants and eateries.
So what effect do these fats have on our health? We will discuss this in our next article.
