Diet : What You Need to Know About “Good” and “Bad” Fat

Although many health experts are telling us that we have too much fat in our diet, the
truth is that that most people are actually deficient in essential fatty acids (EFAs),
especially omega-3 fatty acids.

By increasing your consumption of these vitamin-type fats, you can lower your chance of
getting heart disease, reduce inflammation in your joints, enhance your immune response
against cancer, and promote healthy brain function.

The point is that the types of fat you eat make a big difference in your risk of developing
or dying of heart disease. Despite what you've probably been led to believe, it's not
necessary to reduce fat consumption in order to reduce your risks. It is important,
however, to change the KINDS of fats you eat.

In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers
concluded that replacing unhealthy fats like margarine and shortening with healthy
sources of fats -- such as olive oil, avocados, nuts, and cold-water fish -- was more
effective in preventing coronary disease than reducing total fat intake.
Here's an easy way to remember which fats are good and which are bad, plus the best
way to get the important fats you need.

* Saturated fats are those that are solid at room temperature. They are found in meat,
dairy products, palm and palm-kernel oils, cocoa butter, and coconut oil. Numerous
epidemiological analyses have observed that increased consumption of saturated fat is
linked to increased incidences of heart disease and cancer. While some scientists
(including Dr. Robert Atkins) have argued that saturated fats have been unfairly maligned
for their role in the development of heart disease, most nutritionists advise that saturated
fat be kept to 10 percent or less of your total daily calories.

* Monounsaturated oils are those that are liquid at room temperature but become cloudy
or solid when refrigerated. They include olive oil and canola oil and are present in
avocados. Studies have shown that cultures that get the majority of their fat calories from
monounsaturated fats have a lower incidence of all types of cardiovascular disease and
many kinds of cancer. Health and nutrition experts now recommend that the majority of
your dietary fat intake should be from monounsaturated oils.

* Polyunsaturated oils remain liquid even when chilled. They are important because they
supply the essential fatty acids. The most commonly used vegetable oils, such as those
made from corn, peanuts, and soybeans, are high in omega-6 EFAs. Sources of omega-3
fats include deep-sea (cold-water) fish like salmon, herring, cod, mackerel, and sardines,
as well as flaxseed (also known as linseed).

Most of us get adequate omega-6 from our diet. But unless you are eating cold-water fish
four or five times a week or chewing a tablespoon of raw flaxseed daily, you will most
likely benefit from an additional omega-3 EFA supplement.

In the past, most people took fish-oil and flaxseed-oil supplements. Unfortunately, both
of these can have digestive side effects, ranging from an unpleasant taste to noxious
burping, nausea, and diarrhea. The Health Sciences Institute has recently reported,
however, on a better alternative: perilla oil. We've found that perilla oil appears to be the
most inexpensive and best-tolerated source of these valuable compounds. It delivers all of
the benefits of omega-3 EFAs and in some cases appears to be even more powerful than
fish or flaxseed oil. Most importantly, it's free of the digestive side effects that many
people suffer with the traditional sources of omega-3 fatty acids.