Contrary to popular belief, fats form an indispensable portion of a normal daily diet. But consuming unhealthy fats can have a terrible impact on your health. The fact that not all fats are created equal makes it necessary to understand the difference between healthy fats and unhealthy fats.
In short: you should include a greater serving of monounsaturated fats in your meals because of their nutritional value whilst avoiding harmful saturated and trans-fat. Here’s a quick list of common food items that fall under both the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fat bracket:
Good Fats
Consuming good fats contributes to one’s desire to be energetic and healthy while also helping you lose the pounds you want to shed. The following are five must-have good fats:
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate (in moderation!) has a large quantity of healthy monounsaturated fats that are good for cardiovascular health, which also helps in reducing blood pressure.
Peanut Butter
Consuming natural, unsalted, unsweetened peanut butter is said to alleviate the threat of developing type 2 diabetes down to 21%. Additionally, snacking on seeds and nuts is commonly known to reduce the risk of heart attacks by up to 35% in some studies.
Avocado
Avocado is rich in monounsaturated fat. Incorporating avocados in your daily intake can significantly decrease cholesterol and other blood lipid-related issues.
Olives
Another food rich in monounsaturated fats are olives and olive oil. Their regular consumption can improve your heart health and help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes.
Fish
Fish is widely known as an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, which fight several ailments. Consuming more fish can aid in lowering the risk of heart attacks up to 36%.
Bad Fats
Consumption of unhealthy fats can be detrimental to your health and can significantly raise the risk of heart attacks and diabetes. Following are five bad fats that need to be avoided:
Ice Cream
Some ice-cream flavors, like the staple vanilla, are loaded with the unhealthy trans-fats…it might taste good, but ice cream isn’t exactly good for you, so reserve it for an occasional treat.
Cake Mixes
Many times, cake mixes and frostings cream are filled with trans-fats, disguised as ‘shortening’ on the ingredients label. They can lead to health issues despite occurring in small amounts.
French Fries
French fries contain hydrogenated oils and trans-fat that is bad for your heart health.
Fried Chicken
A large quantity of trans-fats are found inside a typical fried chicken meal, which can raise the threats of diabetes, heart strokes, and other heart-related ailments up to 25%.
Microwave Popcorn
Lastly, microwave popcorn comprises trans-fats and hydrogenated or shortening oils. Plus, they are fraught with preservatives and salt, which raises cholesterol and heart-related risks. Stick to the old fashioned way of making it yourself on the stovetop, and use olive oil instead.
We hope this helps to clarify the differences between healthy and unhealthy fats. Sometimes just getting nutritional facts on the radar is sufficient to make a lifetime of good choices from that point on. Let’s agree to attempt to consciously avoid eating fats that are likely to be harmful to our health. Instead, try to fuel our bodies with the very best, replacing bad fats with alternative foods containing healthy fats.