Good Fat vs. Bad Fat Do You Know What You Should Really Lose?
I want to lose weight. I want to lose the flab on my arms. I want to get rid of this bulging belly. I’d like this cellulite on my legs vanished.
That’s what most of us say when we’re tired of carrying around all this extra body fat, and we’ve decided it’s time to start shrinking it. The problem though, is that many people seem to think they’ll lose weight if they eat or don’t eat certain kinds of fatty foods. And that’s the wrong approach. Why? Because there are good fats and bad fats. Bad fats can make it difficult to lose weight, but good fats can actually help your body become more healthy and shed the extra body fat you’re carrying around.
Bad fats are a problem and Good fats aren’t
As mentioned, there are two kinds of fats – good fats and bad fats. How do you distinguish one from the other?
There are two types of good fats – monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats:
Monounsaturated fats are good because they lower total cholesterol and the bad cholesterol a.k.a. LDL cholesterol. It decreases the levels of the bad cholesterol while increasing the good cholesterol also known as HDL cholesterol. Good sources of monounsaturated fats include avocado, canola oil, olive oil and nuts such as walnuts and peanuts.
Good fats like these will also help kick your body’s metabolism into gear – which helps you reduce belly fat faster – and they also help you feel full and satisfied for longer periods of time after eating, so you end up eating less foods throughout the day.
Polyunsaturated fats are the other type of good fats. These fats are good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to lower blood pressure, fight bad cholesterol, help stop inflammation and aid in protecting the brain and nervous system. Common sources of polyunsaturated fats include fish oil, salmon, corn, safflower, soy and sunflower oils.
There are two types of bad fats – saturated fats and trans fats:
Saturated fats are considered bad fats because they increase the levels of total blood cholesterol and the bad cholesterol. Sources of saturated fats include dairy, eggs, and some meats. Oils like coconut, palm and palm kernel oil are sources of this bad fat.
Trans fats are the man-made bad fats and recent studies have started showing these can be the worst of them all. Scientists created trans fats while trying to improve the shelf life of food. Trans fats are also known as hydrogenated fats, and they can be found in most packaged foods and snack foods such as microwave popcorn, margarine and vegetable shortening.
