Fat [Friendlies and Enemies]

Fat [Friendlies and Enemies]

Fat is not all bad!!The fat in food is actually very helpful.Your body needs it to absorb and transport vitamins A, D, E, and K; to provide energy, and to keep your brain and nerves working normally.Your body needs stored fat to maintain body heat, protect vital organs, and build an energy reserve.Fat helps make foods taste and smell good!Fat also plays a role in satisfying hunger - giving you a sense of feeling full.However, there is much evidence that a diet high in fat, especially saturated fat, is related to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.

1. All fats are very high in energy and will increase your weight if eaten in excess.  
2. Knowing which fats raise LDL (“Bad”) cholesterol is the first step in lowering your risk of heart disease.
3. Saturated fat, trans-fatty acids and dietary cholesterol can raise your LDL or bad cholesterol.  
4. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats appear to not raise LDL cholesterol
5. Some studies suggest they might even help lower LDL cholesterol slightly when eaten as part of a low-saturated and trans-fat diet.

TYPES OF DIETARY FATS 

SATURATED FATS
Increases harmful LDL cholesterol
Increases total cholesterol
Solid at room temperature
Saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol. Saturated fat is found mostly in foods from animals and some plants.
The following foods are rich in saturated fats, therefore try to avoid them: Fatty meats (asado, spare ribs), skin of chicken, sausages, Spanish chorizos, luncheon meats such as mortadella, devon, salami, bacon, liverwurst.
Full cream dairy products - milk, cheese, yoghurt, ice cream
Cream,
Butter, lard, cooking margarine
Palm oil (used in commercial biscuits, cakes, pastries, snack foods,  and many fried take-away foods)
Cocoa butter.

TRANS FATS (TFA)
Increases harmful LDL cholesterol
Increases total cholesterol
Primarily in stick margarine and hydrogenated fats.
TFA or hydrogenated fats tended to raise total blood cholesterol levels.TFA also tend to raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower HDL (good) cholesterol.Therefore
Avoid foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
Limit cakes, cookies, crackers, pastries, pies, muffins, doughnuts and
French fries made with partially hydrogenated or saturated fats.

DIETARY CHOLESTEROL 
Cholesterol is only found in animal food, as it is the animal's liver that converts plants foods into cholesterol.
Main dietary sources of cholesterol:
Offal, egg yolk, butter, prawns, shrimp, calamari, and octopus

Unsaturated Fat( POLYUNSATURATED AND MONOUNSATURATED FATS ) 
Decreases harmful LDL cholesterol
Decreases total cholesterol
Soft or liquid at room temperature
These fats may help lower your blood cholesterol level when you use them in place of saturated and trans fats.

Polyunsaturated fats
There are two types of polyunsaturated fats:
Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.   
They are found in plant products and fish.  Both types are healthy!

Omega 6 fatty acids
polyunsaturated oils - sunflower, safflower, soybean, corn and grape-seed oil 
polyunsaturated margarines 
nuts - brazil, walnuts
seeds – sunflower, safflower

Omega 3 fatty acids 
They will help to reduce high blood triglycerides, reduce high blood pressure, reduce the risk of blood clots (thrombosis). 
Fatty fish eg. mackerel, sardines, herring, salmon, trout, tuna and mullet  
linseed- including linseed products eg. breads, cereals.  
walnuts, canola oil  

Monounsaturated fats
Oils - olive, canola, peanut, macadamia 
Margarines based on olive oil and canola 
Avocado, peanut butter 
Nuts: peanuts, macadamia, cashews, almonds 
seeds - sesame, pumpkin 

Tips for Heart-Healthy Eating
‰Bake, broil, roast or grill meats to get the fat away from the meat 
‰Drain fat from ground beef; take the skin off poultry 
‰Buy the lowest fat meats and poultry you can afford 
‰Eat smaller servings of meat 
‰Use low fat or fat-free dairy products 
‰Replace ice cream with frozen low fat yogurt or reduced fat ice cream 
‰Eat more vegetables without added butter or sauces 
‰Use cooking oil, spray-type oils or soft tub spreads instead of butter 
‰Limit donuts, pastries, sweet rolls and rich desserts