Understanding Saturated Fats and Their Impact on Your Health
Saturated fats are a type of dietary fat that is commonly found in many foods. While our bodies do need some fat for energy and other important functions, it's important to understand the role that saturated fats play in our overall health.
What Are Saturated Fats?
Saturated fats are a type of fat that is commonly solid at room temperature. They are commonly found in animal products such as meat, dairy, and eggs, as well as in some plant-based foods like coconut and palm oil.
While our bodies do need some saturated fat, it's important to limit our intake as too much can have negative effects on our health.
The Impact of Saturated Fats on Cholesterol Levels
One of the main concerns with consuming too much saturated fat is its impact on cholesterol levels. Saturated fats can increase the amount of cholesterol in your blood, which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and other health issues.
In fact, it is recommended that less than 10% of our daily energy intake should come from saturated fats. For individuals with high levels of LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), it is recommended to limit saturated fat intake to less than 7% of daily energy intake.
Choosing Healthy Fats
When it comes to fats, not all are created equal. While saturated fats should be limited, there are other types of fats that can actually have a positive impact on our health.
Mono and polyunsaturated fats, including Omega 3s, are considered healthy fats that can greatly lower the risk of developing heart diseases. These fats can be found in foods like olives and olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fatty fish.
Foods High in Saturated, Monounsaturated, and Polyunsaturated Fats
For reference, here are some examples of foods that fall into each fat category:
Foods high in saturated fats: butter, coconut oil, lard, cream, whipping cream, cheese.
Foods high in monounsaturated fats: olives and olive oil, avocados and avocado oil, macadamias and macadamia oil, almonds, pecans, peanuts.
Foods high in polyunsaturated fats: fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, anchovies), eggs, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, walnuts.