Understanding Good Fats From Bad Fats
Not all fats are created equal and not all fats are bad. Cholesterol and saturated fats are the hardest on your heart, while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the easiest. Read below how to recognize all four in your diet.
CHOLESTEROL is a fatty substance found in animal foods including meat, poultry, fish, egg yolks, milk, cream, cheese, butter and other dairy products. Foods derived from plants such as fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts contain no cholesterol at all.
SATURATED FATS are primarily contained in animal foods including red meat and whole milk dairy products. Saturated fats can also be found in certain types of oils, notably coconut and palm oil, and palm kernel oils, which are used in commercially baked goods. It’s a good idea to cut down on foods high in saturated fats and to make substitutions whenever possible.
MONOUNSATURATED FATS are not considered harmful to your heart, and new research suggests they may actually reduce your blood cholesterol level and risk of cardiovascular disease. This type of fat is found in olive oil, and in certain plant foods including avocados.
POLYUNSATURATED FATS also tend to reduce blood cholesterol levels. It’s the kind of fat you find most typically in sunflower, corn, soybean and safflower oils.
This is usefully informative and encouraging to me with my natural choices. Thank you, Diane
You are very welcome Derrick! Have a great day!
Thank you so much Ned and have a great week!
Oh that saturated fat!! It likes to hide.
It sure does!
Thanks for the info Diane, we do use Olive oil but I have tried Avocado oil. I used to use Safflower but then I thought it wasn’t as good as others so I stopped. Maybe I will revisit that oil!
Until they come up with new rules! Lol
😆
I eat quite a bit of avocados and fish to help fill up my tummy but also know it’s good type of fat. We also generally cook with olive oil for its known benefits.
I need to do better with cutting down on red meat. I’m now at the age where I have to take cholesterol meds given my bad genes! 🤣 And as I joke with the hubby, I can’t double the dosage just cuz I want to eat a bag of pork rinds!
PS. Love the ring cam photo of the bird!
Haha I remember you saying you loved pork rinds! You are right, it’s the bad genes that may make your jeans not fit! 🤣 I wish I liked avocados like you do! So basically what you are saying is it sucks to get older!
This is so good!
Thank you!
I just saw a little video of how bad coffee creamer is for you – I don’t indulge in many things, but flavored coffee creamer is one of those indulgences and it is only the powdered kind. The person said Coffeemate regular powdered creamer was one of the worst things you can do. I don’t like liquid creamer as it cools the coffee down too much – I like it piping hot.
I drink my coffee with flavored coffee mate. I don’t care how bad it is for me, I love it that much! I will stop buying it when I can’t control myself and I put a straw in the bottle and drink it instead of with my coffee! 😂🤣😂
I feel the same way Diane. I’m watching this guy point it out and oh well, it is one of life’s little indulgences for me too. I used to buy the sugar-free but switched after they said not to use sucralose. I do occasionally buy the liquid creamers, but they cool the coffee down so much, but if I buy it, it’s just at the holidays. I have been known to put the liquid coffee creamer in my morning oatmeal – I do that with the eggnog too. 🙂
I tried sugar free once when Terry grabbed the wrong one at the store. I had to throw it out it tasted so bad. He bought cinnamon last week by mistake. I love either vanilla or my favorite is caramel. I will try the cinnamon, I love cinnamon, but not sure about having it in coffee. That’s a nice treat for you using coffee cream in your oatmeal.
I’ve never had the cinnamon, but I loved the caramel, but they haven’t carried it at my Meijer for awhile. There are so many types of coffee creamer for harvest time that my Meijer just puts them into a big refrigerated compartment on wheels rather than in the fridge area with the milk. Egg nog in oatmeal is wonderful – I do it when the holidays are over and I have some left over.
I can’t remember if I mentioned your bird giving you the side eye at the bird feeder … very fun. I think you said it was a gift – best gift ever!
Most of the pictures it takes are similar but occasionally I get some good ones. I wish the picture quality was better but it sits in the weather and temperatures and I need to clean the lens. Lol I had Terry give this to me for my birthday.
This bird kind of gave you the side-eye. 🙂 I thought I remembered you posted about it and said you told Terry that is what you wanted for your birthday … might as well have something you enjoy!
We buy anything we need but save the “toys” for birthday and Christmas.
That’s the way to do it when you are adults. My mom and I would get our Christmas gifts for each other long before Christmas and never wrapped them a lot of the time.
Yes Terry and I don’t wrap them for each other too.
When you’re adults and no kids in the family, there is no need.
Fruits, veggies, grains and nuts are the way to go!
I don’t eat enough veggies so the doctor said drink V-8 juice since I love that. But you are right, those are the healthiest.
I guess as we get older we inevitably come up against this info, and it is good info to know as we navigate the rest of our lives. I wish I had taken heed of the good vs. bad awhile back, but am definitely aware of better choices to be made now.
I totally agree Bruce! Why is it most people (me included) don’t care about what foods they eat until there is a problem like diabetes, high blood pressure etc. Now that I’m older I know those things are coming, unfortunately!
This is a lot of good information for people to be aware of! I use olive oil in almost all my cooking. We even have a shop near us that sells tons of different infused olive oils, adding some fun to the healthy eating.
I never thought about that, we have one too. I bought a different oil that was infused with garlic and it’s still in the pantry. I use a lot of regular olive oil though. Have a great day Beth!
Wonderful bit of food education there 🙂
Thank you Tierney!
I’m so happy I love avocados 😉 … and in our pantry is only olive oil. You’re right Diane, once you understand the terms of good and bad fats, you’re halfway on your way towards a healthy diet.
I wish I loved avocados, even made into guacamole I don’t like them.
Thanks for this info!
You’re welcome!