What are healthy fat?

Answer 1

"Healthy" fats are the fats that your body needs to survive and to function properly. They include monounsaturated fats, such as that found in olives, as well as certain polyunsaturated fats, such as that found in sunflower seeds.

Eating healthy fats lowers the risks of cardiovascular disease, cancer and Diabetes, and improves your chances of living a healthful life. It's best to consume healthy fat in its natural form: raw nuts, avocado, olives, raw seeds, or fresh coconut. Refining fats by turning them into oils, greatly reduces their health-promoting qualities and vastly increases their calorie density. It's easier to drizzle too much olive oil over a salad than it is to eat the olives whole. Pure nut butters are good, but they are high in calories. Oils, when heated, form free radicals that can damage to the cells in our bodies, causing premature aging and irregular cell growth.

The two main types of helpful dietary fat are:

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which are in a variety of foods. Monounsaturated fats have one carbon atom double-bonded to hydrogen atoms, and polyunsaturated fats have many carbon atoms double-bonded, so their molecules have relatively fewer hydrogen atoms than a saturated fatty acid of the same length. Eating foods rich in MUFAs improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of Heart disease. MUFAs may also benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 Diabetes. Healthy sources of monosaturated fat include avocados, nuts, and seeds.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are found mostly in plant-based foods. PUFAs help your body to maintain the membranes of all cells, and they help it to make prostaglandins, which regulate many body processes, including inflammation and blood clotting. Eating foods rich in PUFAs improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of Heart disease. PUFAs may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. Depending on the location of the double-bond in the fatty acid chain, PUFAs can be classified as omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids.

Most fatty acids are non-essential, meaning that your body can produce them as needed, generally from other fatty acids. However, your body cannot make at least two PUFAs: linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, and alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid found in plants. These are called essential fatty acids and you must include them in your diet. Omega-6 fatty acids, including linoleic acid, which your body converts into gamma linolenic acid (GLA), provide another natural defense against such diseases as cancer, rheumatoid Arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, diabetic neuropathy and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Omega-3 fatty acids may decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, protect against irregular heartbeats, and help lower blood pressure levels. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is a short-chain omega-3 fatty acid, which is found in many vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fruits. There are relatively large amounts in soy, walnuts, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, pumkin seeds, sesame seeds, mustard seeds, and chia seeds. Brazil nuts and wheat germ also contain significant amounts. It's also found in green leafy vegetables, grains, and spirulina. Your body cannot make its own ALA, so you need to eat some of these foods each day. Your body can convert ALA to EPA (eiocosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is found in very small amounts in microalgae, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and walnuts. EPA lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease. Some EPA is converted into series 3 eicosanoids which can reduce blood clotting, inflammation, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Your body can produce EPA out of ALA and out of DHA. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is found in very small amounts in spirulina, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and walnuts. It is a major component of the gray matter of the brain, and also found in the retina, testes, sperm, and cell membranes. DHA is important for proper nerve and brain development and function. Your body can convert EPA into DHA; however, a high intake of linoleic acid may suppress your body's ability to convert alpha-linolenic acid to DHA. Avoid refined oils, especially sunflower, safflower, and corn oil, and use tiny amounts of oils containing alpha-linolenic acid such as soy and walnut oils, which will assist your body in making more DHA.

Answer 2

"Healthy" fats are the fats that your body needs to survive and to function properly. They include monounsaturated fats, such as that found in olives, as well as certain polyunsaturated fats, such as that found in sunflower seeds.

Eating healthy fats lowers the risks of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, and improves your chances of living a healthful life. It's best to consume healthy fat in its natural form: raw nuts, avocado, olives, raw seeds, or fresh coconut. Refining fats by turning them into oils, greatly reduces their health-promoting qualities and vastly increases their calorie density. It's easier to drizzle too much olive oil over a salad than it is to eat the olives whole. Pure nut butters are good, but they are high in calories. Oils, when heated, form free radicals that can damage to the cells in our bodies, causing premature aging and irregular cell growth.

The two main types of helpful dietary fat are:

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which are in a variety of foods. Monounsaturated fats have one carbon atom double-bonded to hydrogen atoms, and polyunsaturated fats have many carbon atoms double-bonded, so their molecules have relatively fewer hydrogen atoms than a saturated fatty acid of the same length. Eating foods rich in MUFAs improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. MUFAs may also benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes. Healthy sources of monosaturated fat include avocados, nuts, and seeds.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are found mostly in plant-based foods. PUFAs help your body to maintain the membranes of all cells, and they help it to make prostaglandins, which regulate many body processes, including inflammation and blood clotting. Eating foods rich in PUFAs improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. PUFAs may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. Depending on the location of the double-bond in the fatty acid chain, PUFAs can be classified as omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids.

Most fatty acids are non-essential, meaning that your body can produce them as needed, generally from other fatty acids. However, your body cannot make at least two PUFAs: linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, and alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid found in plants. These are called essential fatty acids and you must include them in your diet. Omega-6 fatty acids, including linoleic acid, which your body converts into gamma linolenic acid (GLA), provide another natural defense against such diseases as cancer, rheumatoid Arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, diabetic neuropathy and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Omega-3 fatty acids may decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, protect against irregular heartbeats, and help lower blood pressure levels. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is a short-chain omega-3 fatty acid, which is found in many vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fruits. There are relatively large amounts in soy, walnuts, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, pumkin seeds, sesame seeds, mustard seeds, and chia seeds. Brazil nuts and wheat germ also contain significant amounts. It's also found in green leafy vegetables, grains, and spirulina. Your body cannot make its own ALA, so you need to eat some of these foods each day. Your body can convert ALA to EPA (eiocosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is found in very small amounts in microalgae, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and walnuts. EPA lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease. Some EPA is converted into series 3 eicosanoids which can reduce blood clotting, inflammation, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Your body can produce EPA out of ALA and out of DHA. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is found in very small amounts in spirulina, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and walnuts. It is a major component of the gray matter of the brain, and also found in the retina, testes, sperm, and cell membranes. DHA is important for proper nerve and brain development and function. Your body can convert EPA into DHA; however, a high intake of linoleic acid may suppress your body's ability to convert alpha-linolenic acid to DHA. Avoid refined oils, especially sunflower, safflower, and corn oil, and use tiny amounts of oils containing alpha-linolenic acid such as soy and walnut oils, which will assist your body in making more DHA.