The human body is made so that it needs certain fats to function. These fats can actually help you stay healthier and can increase nerve function as well as helping your cells keep their integrity. These fats are known as Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. When you hear someone talk about good fats these are the two fats to which they are referring. Let’s take a look at both of them to see what you can gain by making sure you get enough of them in your diet.

Monounsaturated fats will actually help lower your overall cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol according to many doctors. In addition to these benefits they can also raise your good cholesterol levels. Some of the best sources of monounsaturated fats are actually quite tasty. They include foods such as almonds, avocados, and peanuts. You can also find many different oils that contain monounsaturated fats such as olive oil.

Polyunsaturated fats performed much of the same benefits that monounsaturated fats do. These fats are typically found in fish and the popular Omega-3 fatty acid is actually a member of this group. Certain vegetable oils such as corn, and sunflower oils have high levels of polyunsaturated fats and can be very good for you.

It is important to remember however that some fats are bad. Saturated fats are probably the most well known. These are the fats will impact your blood cholesterol levels badly. Unfortunately, saturated fats are the most common fats and the majority of us may not even know just how harmful they could be. You can find saturated fats in many meat products as well as dairy. However there are a few vegetable oils you may also want to avoid such as coconut oil and palm oil.

Last but not least, we have trans fats and these are actually created through a process called hydrogenation. You’ve probably seen the term hydrogenated oil on food labels before but you may not understand how this process works. In order to get hydrogenated oil you have to take regular oil and force hydrogen through it. This does provide benefits such as making the oil lasts longer without spoiling, but it unfortunately it is not very good for you. Trans fats are usually found in fried food, but may also appear in foods such as margarine,

Now that you know which fats are good and bad don’t forget to read your food labels to make sure that what you are eating is actually good for you.

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The best kinds of fats are those that are natural and unaltered by human processing. The most beneficial fats are found in nuts, seeds, olives (including cold-pressed olive oil), fish, and avocados. The damage to any good, natural fat comes in how it is altered by humans to make it more palatable, marketable, or for better preservation. Partial hydrogenation is the worst and possibly most common culprit, but there are numerous other processing steps – refining and exposure to high heat, for example – that can ruin its healthfulness. Particularly positive fats to look for are omega-3 and omega-6. These are most commonly found in fish.

Heavy fish consumption, while it has many benefits, must come with a cautionary note. Due to mass polluting of their ecosystems, many kinds of fish now contain toxins and heavy metals (typically mercury). For most types of fish and most healthy adults, these are not present in levels that should be of concern. However, if you are greatly increasing your fish intake to bulk up on positive fats, avoid fish at the top of the food chain like albacore tuna. These will contain not only the metals and toxins that they have absorbed, but also the toxins absorbed by all of the fish they have eaten. There are guidelines published through the US Department of Agriculture that outline the safest types of fish to consume, in what quantities, and who should be especially careful of their fish consumption, like pregnant women.

Contrary to popular opinion, animal fats may not be worse than vegetable fats. The most common reasons for animal fats being so negative has more to do with the ways the livestock is treated and processed. Even butter, when it’s the fresh churned, good old-fashioned kind, contains good fats.

Just as fats transport nutrients around in our bodies, they perform a similar function in livestock. One side effect of this is that antibiotics, steroids, and growth hormones are also known to adhere to the fats in animals. For this reason, non-organically raised meats should be consumed cautiously and not in extremely high quantities. Additionally, any meats that have been fried will contain some of the most harmful fats. This is because when lipids are exposed to extreme temperatures, such as in the frying process, the fats are altered in a harmful way and nutrients are removed.

The next time you make some dinner don’t be so quick to dismiss fats. Like anything, use moderation, and focus on good fats.

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