Listen to “Good Fat VS Bad Fat“.
When it comes to diet, fats usually get a bad rap. This is because certain types of fat, and the fat-like substance cholesterol, play a role in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. However, not all fats are created equal, and some fats are better for you than others. A few may even help to promote good health and knowing the difference can help you to determine which fats to avoid, and which to eat in moderation.
What are the bad fats?
Trans fats are industrial chemicals made out of vegetable fats, a cheap fat substitute. Trans fats are not real fats, although we use them for cooking and making processed foods. Trans fats promote free radicals, which are the leading cause of oxidative stress, accelerated ageing and chronic issues. If you want to be healthy, then it’s essential to ditch all trans fats from your diet!
Here is a list of foods which contain trans fats:
- Movie popcorn
- Crackers, cookies, cakes, frozen pies and other baked goods
- Frozen pizza
- Vegetable shortenings and some stick margarines
- Coffee Creamer
- Refrigerated dough products
- Ready-to-use frostings
- Fried salty snack foods such as potato crisps and corn chips
- Doughnuts, particularly iced
- Baked meat goods such as sausage rolls and meat pies.
- Deep-fried fast food items such as french fries, chips, wedges, battered fish and nuggets. These foods have been deep-fried in partially hydrogenated oils.
- Frozen foods such as spring rolls, breaded chicken and fish fingers
- Pastries and pies such as Danish pastries, croissants, cinnamon rolls and apple pies
- Packet cake mixes
In May 2018, The World Health Organisation estimated that trans fat intake leads to more than 500,000 deaths from heart disease every year!
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats often come from animals and generally take a more solid form. They raise ‘bad’ cholesterol levels and can contribute to heart disease.
Saturated fats should not make up more than 10% of your daily calorie intake. Common sources of saturated fats include:
- high-fat cheeses
- high-fat cuts of meat
- whole-fat milk and cream and ice cream
- butter
- palm and coconut oils
Good Fats
The body needs a certain amount of fat present in our diets to aid hormone function, memory, and the absorption of certain nutrients.
Including healthier fats in a meal also helps to create a sense of fullness, slows down the digestion of carbohydrates, and add flavour to food.
The healthiest fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. There are also plenty of healthy, high-fat foods you should be working into your meals and snacks regularly:
– Olive oil
– Avocados
– Nuts
– Coconuts and Coconut Oil
– Fatty Fish
– Dark Chocolate
– Olives
– Ground flaxseed
– Tofu
These are the good fats, and doctors say they should make up the majority of the fat we eat.
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