Fats Can Make You Thin
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats come mostly from animal products, including milk and milk products, and from several vegetables:
| Butter | Milk |
| Cheese | Beef |
| Lamb | Veal |
| Pork | Poultry |
| Lard | Vegetable shortening |
| Cocoa butter | Palm oil |
| Coconut oil | Kernel oil |
Limit your intake of saturated fat to no more than 10 percent of your food intake daily. So, yes, enjoy your beef and butter, but in moderation.
Polyunsaturated Fats
Polyunsaturated fats are found in seeds, seed oils, and vegetable oils, as well as in cold-water fish. The following are common sources of polyunsaturated fats:
| Corn oil | Safflower oil |
| Sunflower oil | Soybean oil |
| Flaxseed oil | Salmon |
| Mackerel | Herring |
| Cod | Sardines |
| Albacore tuna | Black currants |
| Flaxseeds | Sunflower seeds |
| Corn | Evening primrose |
Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats are found in certain vegetable oils and nut oils, which are best when unprocessed. The following are common sources of monounsaturated fats:
| Olive oil | Sesame Seeds |
| Canola oil | Sesame seed oil |
| Peanuts | Almonds |
| Peanut oil | Almond oil |
| Avocados |
Trans Fats
Trans fats are man-made fats created by transforming unsaturated fats into saturated fats through heat and hydrogenation (adding hydrogen atoms). They're also called “partially hydrogenated” oils. Once a favorite of the food industry, studies show that trans fats harm your health and can directly cause heart disease, as well as increased insulin production, decreased testosterone, lower metabolism, and raise bad cholesterol levels. The FDA now requires that food labels state the amount of trans fats per serving. It's best to avoid them.
Yes, Fats Are Also Essential
Just as your body needs essential amino acids from protein for good health, so, too, does your body require essential fatty acids (EFAs). Your body can't synthesize these from other foods you eat. You must ingest them.
Lean Lingo
Your body needs essential fatty acids (EFAs) for important metabolic processes. EFAs are fats that cannot be synthesized by your body; they must be ingested.
EFAs are beneficial for hormone production. The brain needs EFAs to function properly, and they are critical for the transmission of nerve impulses. EFAs also aid you in many other ways. They help …
Regulate the transport of oxygen and energy through your body.
Form new cells, particularly in the nervous system.
Increase your body's metabolic rate.
Improve skin and hair.
Help reduce high blood pressure.
Help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
As you can see, you need your EFAs. There are two kinds of essential fatty acids that are derived from fat sources containing the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
More on: Mom's Health and Fitness
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Healthy Weight Loss © 2005 by Lucy Beale and Sandy G. Couvillon. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book visit the Idiot's Guide web site or call 1-800-253-6476.
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