Thursday, September 4, 2008

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and raise blood cholesterol levels. Imagine a solid block of butter. It can be found in animal products like meat, cheese, milk, ice cream and sour cream.

Most Americans get saturated fat from diary products. Are you fond of cheesey pizzas and ice cream? Two thirds of fat in dairy products are saturated. Nachos, sour cream on a baked potato, grilled sandwiches all contain saturated fat.

An average 11 percent of the calories Americans consume everyday come from saturated fats. Trans fat contribute 3 percent, according to expert panels that developed the federal dietary guidelines. Tropical oils such as coconut oil and cocoa butter contain trans fat. These are used for a wide variety of food stuff such as chocolate, cookies and candies. Some nuts also contain a trace amount of saturated fat.

Saturated fats also increase the body's production of LDL cholesterol, thus increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. Some researchers are trying to discover if saturated fat has the same effect that trans fat has on LDL blood cholesterol but this answer has not been found to date. It is likely comparable.

Unsaturated fats are good for health as they lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL, good cholesterol. These are found in vegetable oils, seeds and nuts.
The two forms of unsaturated fat are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Both are health beneficial if a little different. Monounsaturated fats can be found in avocados, olives; canola, peanut and olive oils. Polyunsaturated fats are found in fish and palm oil. Aim to replace saturated and trans fats with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Palm oil is not only an unsaturated fat but rich in beta carotene, CoEnzyme Q10 and Vitamin E. THE END.


Palm Oil Truth Foundation

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