Nutrition and Diabetes

Fats: The good, the bad and the ugly

Let's face it - fat can make food taste really good. Many of the common "treat" items are high in fat, like ice cream, bacon, spareribs, chocolate and cheesecake.

30% of your total calories can safely come from fat, but no more than that. Besides the obvious weight-maintenance and weight-loss issues, some fats are harmful in their tendency to promote coronary artery disease and need to be eaten in moderation if at all.

If there were a media popularity contest for fats, cholesterol would win first prize. Cholesterol is a type of fat that has gained much negative attention in recent years because of its link to coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and cerebrovascular disease. One egg, packing a whopping 300mg, can take care of all your allotted cholesterol for the day.

Closely related to cholesterol is saturated fat, a kind of fat called a triglyceride, which raises cholesterol in the body. Whole milk products, the visible fat in meat, and hard cheeses are rife with saturated fat and must be no more than a third of the total amount of fats you consume every day.

Unsaturated fat is another triglyceride. It comes from vegetables and has many forms. One of the well-known forms is monounsaturated fat, found in such flavorful foods as olive oil, canola oil, almonds, peanuts and avocados, which doesn't raise cholesterol. Another name you may know is polyunsaturated fat, which is found in corn oil, mayonnaise and margarine. It doesn't raise cholesterol but does reduce the "good" HDL cholesterol.

Do you like fish? Besides the ones in your fish tank, that is. If so, you can do yourself a huge favor and start to include more of it in your diet. Essential fatty acids, found in fish oils, reduce triglycerides, blood pressure and protect against blood clots in the heart.

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