FAT: the good, the bad, the ugly

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Low fat, reduced fat, fat-free, omega-3 fats... these are some things you see EVERYWHERE in the grocery store and it can get quite overwhelming.  What does it all mean?  Do you really need to purchase products that are the lowest in fat?  Fat has gotten a bad rep over the years and some of you may even be scared of fat.  But... did you know that there are some fats that are actually healthy for you?  Yep, that's right!  Some fats are essential for your body to be able to maintain health and function properly.  So, let's discuss the different kinds of fats: the good, the bad, and the ugly!

The Good:
Monounsaturated Fats - these types of fats can be found in avocados, nuts, seeds, and cooking oils like olive and canola.
Polyunsaturated Fats - include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and can be found in cooking oils like corn, safflower, sunflower and soybean, and in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout and sardines.
These fats can lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and also increase good cholesterol (HDL).

AND (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) recommends eating fish 2 times per week in order to meet the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids.  Sometimes, I don't eat that much fish in a week, so I like to take an omega-3 rich fish oil pill (purified, mercury-free) everyday.

The Bad:
Saturated Fats - can be found in animal-based foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, butter, cream, and other whole-fat dairy products.  They are also found in cooking oils like coconut and palm.
These fats can increase overall cholesterol levels, especially bad cholesterol (LDL).
Saturated fats have developed a bad name for themselves over the years, but actually, recent studies have shown a correlation with moderate amounts of saturated fats and lower levels of heart disease.

The Ugly:
Trans Fats - can be found in hydrogenated fat products like margarine and vegetable shortenings, and in packaged snack foods such as cookies, crackers, chips, and fried foods.
These fats can not only increase bad cholesterol (LDL), but they also lower good cholesterol (HDL).  AVOID these at all cost!

When looking at a food nutrition label, a product may be really high in total fat, but the source of the fat is what's important.  It's not always best to buy products that are the lowest in fat, because they could be high in good fats.  A good example of this is peanut butter - 16g of Total Fat but only 3g of Saturated Fat and 0g of Trans Fat.  That means that 13g comes from mono and polyunsaturated fats, a.k.a. good fats = HEALTHY!

Eating the right fats can help reduce levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.  In the long-term, it can help reduce risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Do you only look at "Total Fat" on food nutrition labels, or do you look to see the source of the fat (mono, poly, sat, trans)?