More On The Types Of Dietary Fats

Fats play an important role to various functions of the body. Aside from producing concentrated energy, fats are also necessary in maintaining the skin, keeping hair healthy, the body warm and helping the body cope with the myriad of internal functions that it has to perform under certain circumstances. That is why there are recommended daily levels of fat intake and body fat percentages.

This is where weight loss steps in. An effective weight loss program includes limiting fat consumption and not totally avoiding taking in fats, so a knowledge on such elements is a must in a proper diet scheme in eliminating unwanted fats in the body.

The good or healthy fats are vital to the body because they lessen the chances of having heart diseases. These fats are of the unsaturated varieties -- monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These fats decrease the amount of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol, which is known to clog arteries and cause heart attack, in the blood. For the most part, foods that contain monounsaturated fats include nuts, avocados and oils derived from canola or olive, while polyunsaturated fats are usually found in various vegetable oils.

Harmful or bad fats encourage an increase in the level of LDL in the blood stimulating different diseases. The two common types of bad fats are trans and saturated fats. Trans fats are also often called trans-fatty acids because they solidify and spoil. Such fats are contained in cakes, cookies, french fries, doughnuts and other commercially prepared foods. Meanwhile, saturated fats are present in meat and other animal products like whole milk and egg, ice cream, cheese and butter.