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When we think of heart health, we will
always think of fat as the first nutrient which is believed to be
responsible for artery-clogging plaque. If we eat less food
containing fat, then we will be able to reduce less of it in the
bloodstream to turn into plaque. On the other hand, we should
not reduce the consumption of all foods containing fats as not all
fats are the same.
Saturated fat is not good for our heart.
They are found in red meats such as beef and lamb, in full-fat dairy
products such as regular cheese, whole milk, ice cream, and in fried
foods. Saturated fat should be limited because it is the main
risk factor resulting in total cholesterol blood levels and LDL
("bad") cholesterol levels to go up. We can reduce intake of
saturated fats by switching our daily food diet to low fat for
instance, from whole milk to skim milk or fat-free milk, regular
ground beef to extra lean beef and fried foods to steamed foods.
We should also eat poultry without their skin.
Trans fat has the same negative health
effects on our health as saturated fat. The main source of trans
fat comes partially from hydrogenated vegetable oil, a fat in
processed fried foods and commercial frying oils that helps make foods
a crispy or flaky texture. It is recommended that we consume
less trans fat as possible.
Polyunsaturated
fat is different from the above two types of fats. It
is one of the major heart-healthy fats in food. The best sources
of polyunsaturated fat comes from soybean oil, safflower oil, corn oil
and other vegetable oils that are liquid at room temperature. We
can lower our blood cholesterol if we use polyunsaturated fat instead
of saturated fat, for example, corn oil in place of butter in baking
or use vegetable shortening instead of butter in a bread recipe.
Omega-3 fatty
acids is one of the major fat linking to heart-healthy fats
in food. They are found in soybean oil, canola oil, walnuts,
almonds, flax seed, soy foods and higher-fat fish, such as salmon and
trout. We should eat fish at least twice a week.
Monounsaturated
fat is another important fat in maintaining a good healthy
heart. It helps in reducing blood cholesterol when it is used in
place of saturated fat in foods. Examples of the best known
sources of monounsaturated fats are olive oil, canola oil, nuts, nut
butters and avocados. We should use peanut butter and almond
butter or olive butter as bread spreads because they are rich in
nutrients, such as protein and fiber, in addition to being a terrific
source of monounsaturated fat.
Even though some fats may not be good
for us, we should not limit total fat intake. Our body needs a
certain amount of fat in order to run normally. Children in
particular will need fat for their body and brain to grow and develop
normally. Extremely low-fat diets can cause disastrous to our
health as diets with too low fat will cause the HDL ("good")
cholesterol levels to go down as well. At the same time
extremely low-fat diets can cause triglycerides, a fat-carbohydrate
molecule, to go up. Neither of these is good for our heart.
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