There are numerous types of fat. Fats that are found in foods from plants and animals are known as dietary fat. Dietary fat is a macronutrient that provides energy for the body. Additionally, the body can make its own fat. Fat can be essential and beneficial to health as it supports a number of the bodily functions. Some vitamins, are described as fat soluble, meaning they have to dissolve in fat to be made available to the body.
Dietary fat is mostly unsaturated. The two main categories are monounsaturated fat [MUFA] and polyunsaturated fat[PUFA]. Foods consisting mainly of MUFA and PUFA fats are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil, safflower oil, peanut oil and corn oil.
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MUFA is found in a variety of foods and oils. Eating foods rich in MUFAs can improve blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease the risk of heart disease. Moreover, MUFAs may benefit insulin levels and thereby influencing blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful in type 2 diabetics. Nuts such as include almonds, peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, and pistachios as well as seeds and avocados, black or green olives are good sources of monounsaturated fat.
PUFA is a type of fat found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. A diet rich in PUFA improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. PUFAs may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. Corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, walnuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, soft margarine, mayonnaise and salad dressings are rich in PUFA.
Omega-3 fatty acids is another type of PUFA made up of mainly omega-3 fatty acids found in some types of fatty fishes. Omega-3 may be especially beneficial to the heart and it appears to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. Also omega-3 helps protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels. Fishes high in omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring.
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There are plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Somehow the body doesn't convert it and use it as well as omega-3 from fish. Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed (ground), oils (canola, flaxseed, soybean), and nuts and other seeds (walnuts, butternuts and sunflower).
There are two types of fats that could be harmful: saturated and trans fat. Both saturated and trans fat are solid at room temperature. Because of this, they're typically referred to as solid fats. Saturated fat derives mainly from animal sources of food, such as red meat, pork fat, poultry and full-fat dairy products. Saturated fat raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, saturated fat may also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Trans fat is a type of fat that occurs naturally in some foods in small amounts. However, most trans fats are made from oils through a food processing method called partial hydrogenation. By partially hydrogenating oils, they become easier to cook with and less likely to spoil than do naturally occurring oils. These partially hydrogenated trans fats can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. This can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Moses "Mo" Igono lives in Phoenix, Arizona. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2005. My life was turned around to the point that I am very passionate and committed to helping anybody who is going through the same ordeal. I research and publish resources that would benefit persons with Type 2 Diabetes on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SugarDiabetesResources/
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