Question of the week: Good Fats???

The following question was posted by one of my readers, " I have pre-diabetes and am confused about fats. A friend was telling me there are "healthier fats" I should be including in my diet. I thought all fats were bad? Could you tell me which fats I should include in my diet (if any)?"

Your friend is correct. When including fats in your diet, there are definitely fats that are better choices than others.

Fats play an important role in the body. Fat is essential for the proper functioning of the body. Fats provide essential fatty acids, which must be obtained from food. The essential fatty acids are linoleic and linolenic acid. They are necessary for controlling inflammation, blood clotting, and brain development.

Fat functions as the storage substance for the body's extra calories. It is also an insulator and an important energy source. Healthy skin and hair are maintained by fat. Fat helps the body absorb and move the vitamins A, D, E, and K through the bloodstream.

There are several types of fats:

The "healthier" fats are the unsaturated fats. There are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Despite being healthy, it is still important to watch your portion sizes when consuming these healthy fats.

First there are the monounsaturated fats that include, but are not limited to, avocados, oils (i.e. canola, olive, peanut, or sesame), nuts (such as almonds and cashews), olives, and all-natural peanut butter (unprocessed).

Polyunsaturated fats include oils (i.e. corn, safflower, soybean, and cottonseed), walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and fish.

The fats that we need to reduce, or better yet, eliminate from our diets are the saturated and transfats.

Saturated fats are the biggest dietary cause of high LDL levels or bad cholesterol"). When looking at a food label, pay very close attention to the percentage of saturated fat and avoid or limit any foods that are high. Saturated fat should be limited to 10% of calories. Saturated fats are found in animal products such as butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, cream, and fatty meats. They are also found in some vegetable oils -- coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils.

Transfats form when a vegetable oil hardens (hydrogenation) and can increase LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. They can also reduce HDL levels ("good cholesterol"). Trans fatty acids are found in fried foods, commercial baked goods (donuts, cookies, crackers), processed foods, and margarines. Key words on food labels which indicate transfats are "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated". Transfats have been linked to heart disease.

Source: Medline Plus