Healthy Fats You Should Include in Your Diet
by Jen Page
If you are under the age of 50, you probably grew up thinking that fat is something that you should avoid at all costs, and if you eat it, you are going to gain weight and never get it off. However, that is simply not true. In fact, many believe that fats being replaced by processed carbohydrates in foods is the reason why so many are overweight and obese. While there are bad types of fat that you should avoid for the sake of your diet and your waistline, there are some healthy fats you should include in your diet that will help your body and the mind work better.
You can not avoid all fats and stay healthy. Your body is going to suffer and your brain will not work well either. It can be hard to reprogram your mind into thinking that some fats are good for you and that you can enjoy them with a healthy diet, but you can do it. What you have to do is to learn about the different types of fats and what types are healthy. You can then read your food labels to choose the right foods while leaving the wrong ones on the shelf.
Most have heard recently that trans fats are bad for the body. These are the fats that have the most danger in leading to stroke and/or heart attack. You find these the most in margarine (though many brands are now trans fat free), some frozen meals, and many processed foods. Trans fats are made by chemically altering fat in order to make it stay fresh longer, thus prolonging the shelf-life of foods it’s contained within. They may keep your foods fresher for longer, but they may very well shorten your life. Look for foods with no trans fats with no exceptions.
Some fats, like saturated fats, can be okay for you, but only if you eat these in moderation. You find these naturally occurring in foods like red meats and in poultry (mostly in the skin). Some oils contain saturated fats, with coconut and vegetable oils being two of the worst offenders. This does not mean you should stop eating red meat and chicken, but you should cut back on the amounts. Eat beef only a couple of times a week and take the skin off of your chicken. Not only will these simple diet changes drastically lower the amount of saturated fats you are eating, but will also reduce the amount of calories you are consuming at meal time.
What you want to concentrate on in your diet are the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These are good for the body and essential to total good health. For these fats, try to incorporate more corn, sunflower, and flaxseed oils. You can get good monounsaturated fats from canola oil, and also from olive and peanut oils, seeds like pumpkin and sesame, avocados, and nuts like almonds. These are the fats and fat sources that have the most benefit to your overall health.
About the Author:
Jen Page is a contributing author to Weight-Loss-Center.net, an authority website offering information about Weight Loss, Dieting, Diet Pills and Health.