The Fat Review

Are you a little confused about fat and what its role should be in your current diet? Well, you are not alone. Many people have difficulty making sense of all the current information about dietary fat. Learning about the different types of fat and what effect each has on your health can clear up some of the confusion.

Dietary Fat -a concentrated source of food energy containing nine calories per gram, compared to four calories per gram of carbohydrates and protein.

Dietary Cholesterol -a calorie-free, waxy-type substance found in both the fat and lean tissue from animals like beef, pork, fish and poultry. It is also found in other products from animal sources like eggs, milk and dairy products. Plant-based foods do not contain cholesterol. About 25% of the cholesterol you consume can be converted into blood cholesterol.

Lipid -a common term used to describe blood fats and cholesterol.

Cholesterol -a fat-like substance found in all human (and animal) cells. Cholesterol is required for the formation of hormones, cell membranes, and other essential tissues in the body. Your liver is able to manufacture all the cholesterol your body needs; it is not required in the diet.

Triglyceride -the technical term used to describe fat found in food and fat stored in the body. Triglycerides in the blood are obtained from the fat in food, and fat made by the liver from excess carbohydrates and alcohol calories.

Saturated Fats -generally solid at room temperature. Saturated fats raise blood cholesterol more than any other type of fat, even more than eating dietary cholesterol. The primary sources of saturated fat are:

1. Animal foods like butter, lard, meat, poultry (fat and skin), whole milk, cheese, and other high fat dairy products.

2. Plant foods containing palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil.

Hydrogenated Fats - vegetable oils that have been processed into solid fats. Hydrogenated fats take on some of the properties of saturated fat and raise blood cholesterol levels. This type of fat is found in most processed foods containing fat, including margarine and shortening. Look for the term hydrogenated vegetable oil or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil on the package ingredient list. Choose low-fat processed foods to limit this type of fat.

Polyunsaturated Fats -tend to be liquid at room temperature and are found mainly in vegetable oils like safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean and cottonseed. These types of fat do not tend to raise bad cholesterol levels (LDL), but can have a lowering effect on the good (HDL) cholesterol.

Monounsaturated Fat -found in foods of plant and animal origin. Canola, olive, and peanut oils are primarily monounsaturated fat. Avocados and nuts are also rich sources.

These fats are generally preferred because they do not raise bad (LDL) cholesterol and do not lower good (HDL) cholesterol.

Omega-3 Fats - oils found primarily in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, bluefish, sardines, halibut, herring and lake trout. Canola oil is also a good source of this type of fat. These foods have been shown to have a lowering effect on blood triglycerides and cholesterol levels.