Good Fats Vs. Bad Fats: What's the Difference?
February 28, 2011, By Sylvia Cochran 2 comments
In a society consumed with fat-free food products, it is crucial to remember that fat in itself is a vital component to healthy living. In fact, we need fat to metabolize vitamins A, D, E and also K.
Generally, most of us eat two kinds of fats:
Unsaturated fats: These are also called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as well as the trans fats.
Saturated fats: These are also called triglycerides and fatty acids.
As a general rule of thumb, unsaturated fats (except for trans fats) are by and large considered healthy. Saturated fats, on the other hand, are the bad ones that contribute to cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
Bad Fats and Sources
So what common foods are full of bad fat? Dishes that contain extraordinarily high levels of saturated fats include rich dairy products like sour cream, cream cheese, half-and-half or cream and butter. Other culprits are eggs, ghee, lard, meats heavily marbled with fat, coconut and palm kernel oil and chocolate.
Cheese pizzas, hot dogs and cheeseburgers similarly tip the scale toward containing this kind of fat. The same holds true for yellow cake, Danishes and chocolate bars. Fast food? Loaded with saturated fats. Deep-frying at home? More saturated fat. Bacon, sausage, and processed meats? Off the charts.
What Foods Have Good Fats?
Fortunately, lots of foods also have good fats in them. Avocados are loaded with unsaturated fat. The same holds true for canola and olive oil. But here's tricky part: Lots of foods that have unsaturated (good) fat also contain saturated (bad) fat. So you have to consider both.
Good examples are various meat dishes. Animal proteins contain both kinds of fats, but some dishes are healthier than others. Examples of healthy meats include chicken breast, ham, orange roughy, salmon and turkey. Bad meats include bacon, pork shoulder and any meats that are heavily marbled.
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