Fat / HDL / LDL / Good Fat / Bad Fat

Fat in food and its Kinds -

The major fats that are found in foods

Saturated fats 

Trans fats

Mono-unsaturated fats

Poly-unsaturated fats. 

Know about  -  Appearance-wise, 

Saturated and trans fats tend to be more solid at room temperature (Like butter )

while Mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats tend to be liquid (like  soybean or corn oil) at room temperature. 

So Bad Fat and Good Fat

• “Bad” Fats (Saturated and Trans Fats)
• “Good” Fats (Unsaturated Fats - monounsaturated and polyunsaturated)

Bad Fat 

Saturated:  Saturated fats occur naturally in many foods.  The majority come from animal sources, meat and dairy (milk fat) such as fatty beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, beef fat (tallow), lard and cream, butter, cheese, and other dairy products made from whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk and Yolk of egg All these foods contain cholesterol.  

Many baked goods and fried foods can also contain high levels of saturated fats. 

Some plant foods, such as palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil, also contain primarily saturated fats,  but do not contain cholesterol.

Trans:   About 20–25 percent come from animal fat and 75–80 percent come from partially hydrogenated fat – especially in commercial baked goods (pastries, biscuits, muffins, cakes, pie crusts, doughnuts and cookies) and fried foods (French fries, fried chicken, breaded chicken nuggets and breaded fish), snack foods (popcorn, crackers), and other foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

GooD Fat 

Uunsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) are also found in many foods.  Vegetable oils, nuts, and seafood are recommended sources of these fats.

Monounsaturated:   

Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature but begin to solidify at cold temperatures. This type of fat is preferable to other types of fat and can be found in Canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, avocados, and many nuts and seeds.

Polyunsaturated:  

Polyunsaturated fats are also liquid at room temperature. A number of vegetable oils (soybean oil, corn oil and safflower oil), oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and trout), and most nuts (Spl Walnuts) and seeds.  

The polyunsaturated fats are either from the omega-3 (for example, seafood) or omega-6 (for example, most vegetable oils) family.

Effects of Fats on our Heart 

The “bad” fats

Saturated fats and trans fats, raise LDL (low-density lipoproteins or “bad” cholesterol) levels in our blood and increase your risk of developing heart disease.  

Some Trans fats lower HDL (high-density lipoproteins or “good” cholesterol) levels in our blood.  

The “Good” fats, mono-unsaturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats, can help lower blood cholesterol levels when they replace saturated and trans fats in the diet and may lower our risk of developing heart disease when they are consumed in moderation.