What are Healthy Fats and Why Do You Need Fat in Your Diet?

Over the years, oils and fats have gotten a bad rap. Even today, the perception that “fats make people fat” still persists. We break down what you need to know about incorporating fats into an every day diet.
What is fat in dietary terms?
In terms of fueling the body through food, fat is a vehicle for delivering fatty acids that the body does not naturally produce. Fats that we eat are broken down through the digestive process and absorbed by our body to be used in different ways.
Fat is a necessary part of our diets and is required for many functions in your body. In fact, fat is needed to absorb and store key vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E, and K all require dietary intake of fat for proper absorption and storage.
Many who strive for a fat-free lifestyle may face issues because their bodies could not get the needed vitamins. This can result in poor eye sight, bone density issues, problems with the nervous system, poor skin health, and bleeding risks.
We need to eat some fats in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but there are different types of fats and our bodies respond to them in different ways.
Different types of fats
There are layers to the types of fats that are available to us Most of the types of fat are found in combination in our foods.
Saturated fats
Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature and are generally found in meat and dairy products, such as beef, pork, chicken (especially with the skin on), whole or 2 percent milk, cheeses, coconut oil and palm oil. In warmer months, these oils may be more liquid than fat or somewhere in between, but they're still classified as saturated fats.
Unsaturated fats
Unsaturated fats are generally liquid at room temperature. These fats are further broken down into monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.
Monounsaturated fats
Monounsaturated fats are found in many foods, including meat and dairy. Plant-based sources of monounsaturated fats are much lower in saturated fats than animal products. Avocadoes, seeds (such as pumpkin or sunflower), many nuts, including peanuts, pecans, almonds, and cashews, and oils derived from these sources (such as olive oil, avocado oil, or safflower) are high in monounsaturated fat and lower in saturated fat.
Polyunsaturated fats
Polyunsaturated fats are also divided into two groups: omega-3s and omega-6s. Omega-6 is often found in certain oils, such as peanut, soybean, or corn oils. Omega-3 are found in oily fish, such as salmon, sardines, or tuna, oils including canola and walnut oils, soybeans, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.
Trans fats
Trans fats are not often found in natural foods, though they can exist in small amounts in meats and dairy. For many years, they were made from plant oils, which are naturally liquid at room temperature. These fats were chemically altered to be solid, and were called partially hydrogenated oils. The Food and Drug Administration later determined these fats were unhealthy, raising our bad cholesterol while lowering our good cholesterol, and has since banned the use of trans fats in foods sold in the United States.
What makes a healthy fat?
In addition to helping our bodies absorb certain vitamins, fats can affect our cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is broken down into good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). Healthy fats are those that raise our good cholesterol and lower our bad cholesterol.
Saturated fats tend to raise both good and bad cholesterol. Unsaturated fats tend to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.
What are some examples of healthy fats?
Let us look at some healthy fat choices for your diet and how you can use them. These will help to keep your body running smoothly.
- Olive oil: This popular oil is probably the most commonly known “good” fat source, and is readily available. There are two popular kinds of olive oil: the green one, which is Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), and the yellow one, which is just olive oil. EVOO is made from the first pressing of the fruit and has the most flavor. However, this version should only be added after the food is cooked. Because EVOO burns easily, it is not recommended to heat it. That is why it is commonly used for salad dressing. Yellow olive oil is a better choice for cooking as it has a higher smoke point, which means it will not burn as fast.
- Avocado oil: Many people eat avocados, but few are aware that you can buy avocado oil. It is another great addition to salads or can be drizzled over roasted vegetables or grilled chicken breasts. Like EVOO, you should not heat avocado oil as it can burn. If you prefer avocados themselves, they are an abundant source of healthy unsaturated fats. Add them to salads, tacos, chicken, swordfish, or steaks. Or try the new trend: avocado toast! Prepare with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sea salt on a slice of hearty-multigrain toast.
- Flax seed oil: Many people are less aware of this oil. Flax seeds are very common toppers for breakfast cereals or in breads, but because it has a strong flavor, their oil can be just as useful. Avoid heating flax seed oil. In fact, it should be kept in the refrigerator as it goes rancid easily with temperature fluctuations. You can add it to oatmeal, cream of wheat, or muesli in the morning or drizzle it on toast with honey and peanut butter. Men should be cautious of flax intake, though, as some studies have shown that it can be harmful for prostate health.
- Walnut oil: This is another great oil for salads or breakfast cereals. Like some other oils, walnut oil cannot be heated, but its flavor is best when added just prior to eating. Compared to other oils such as avocado, almond or sesame, this oil tastes truest to its source—walnuts.
- Sesame oil: This is a reliable, healthy oil for cooking. You only need a little to get a lot of flavor and you can heat it unlike most of the other oils listed. As an added bonus, sesame seeds have the highest content of calcium per serving than any other food. Even though you can heat sesame, you should store it in the refrigerator to ensure freshness.
- Fish oil: Most people avoid using fish oil for cooking because of the excessive flavor. But the health benefits of fish oil have long been known. Cod liver oil was the first marketed fish oil product for health and, while it might have been miserable to swallow, it did keep people quite healthy. Now, fish oil supplements are available to help maintain heart health and immune system function.
- Nuts: Go nuts for these little powerhouses! A handful of almonds or chopped walnuts as a snack, on top of a salad, or in yogurt give you the healthy fats your body needs and extra flavor for your meal.
Foods that are fatty versus foods that have high fat content
Fatty foods are man-made items, such as highly processed oils or packaged foods and deep-fried items. By contrast, high-fat foods are those that naturally contain large amounts of fat per serving – more than five grams of fat in a serving.
There are also two kinds of high-fat foods: those that are high in saturated fats and those with unsaturated fats. Typically, animal proteins like red meat and pork are higher in saturated fats.
But did you know that the fat profile of meat is purely a result of the animal’s diet? Imagine that you have two types of farm-raised animals: one is given fatty feeds in areas called “feed lots” while the other is “free range” and eats only grasses. The fatty feeds contain processed oils high in saturated fats, which then causes the meat to contain high amounts of saturated fats. On the other hand, grasses have an omega (unsaturated) fat profile. Animals raised in pasture who never see a feed lot will have an “omega fat profile” instead of a “saturated fat profile.”
The same is true of farm-raised versus wild-caught fish. Farm-raised fish have a higher saturated fat profile due to their fatty diet, whereas wild-caught fish have an omega fat profile from eating krill, plankton, and sea grasses. Even in the animal kingdom, the type of fat consumed matters when it comes to health!
How to make sure you're eating a diet rich in healthy fats
It might feel overwhelming to try to figure out how to juggle all of this information about healthy fats, but the good news is there are already well-studied and relatively easy to implement eating patterns that provided healthy fats. One of them is the Mediterranean diet, with it's emphasis on plants, healthy oils, and seafood with omega-3s. Another is a general plant-based or plant-forward diet, which has been shown to improve heart health.
A diet full of heart-healthy fats is just one part of the puzzle of overall well-being. Limiting your intake of alcohol, aiming for 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, and not smoking are other factors that can impact your heart health and overall health.
If you're concerned about your cholesterol levels or heart health, talk with your primary care provider about your concerns and any steps you can take to work toward improving that aspect of your health. If you're already dealing with cholesterol disorders and have a family history of heart disease, contact Brown University Health's Lipid and Prevention Program for more intensive and personalized treatment.
About the Author:
Brown University Health Blog Team
The Brown University Health Blog Team is working to provide you with timely and pertinent information that will help keep you and your family happy and healthy.
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