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  • Facts about Fats
  • Rating Fats From Best to Worst

Rating Fats From Best to Worst

Understand Fats from Best to Worst

Understanding how we rate fats from best to worst, you first need to know the sources of fats. There are three separate sources you need to look at when rating fats from best to worst. In the complex world of fats, it is important to understand that there are good fats and bad fats. So when we say we are rating fats from best to worst, there are indeed fats that are good for you.

 

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Sources of Fats:

  1. fats from plants and seafood (e.g. soy, nuts, and vegetable oils) are the healthiest
  2. fats from food factories (i.e., hydrogenated oils) are the worst (See Facts About Hydrogenated Fats and Oils)
  3. fats from animal sources fall somewhere in between – healthy in moderation, unhealthy in excess.

Rating fats from best to worst

  1. omega-3 fatty acids: decrease cholesterol; decrease total fats or triglycerides (See Food Sources of DHA and Omega-3)
  2. monounsaturated fats: decrease total fats; decrease LDL (bad cholesterol); no effect on HDL (good cholesterol).
  3. polyunsaturated fats: decrease total cholesterol; decrease LDL; decrease HDL.
  4. saturated fats: increase total cholesterol; increase LDL
  5. trans-fatty acids: increase total fats; increase cholesterol; increase LDL; may decrease HDL.

Why You Need Fats is another good resource for information.

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Traffic light eating: Rating fats from best to worst guide

Green light fats

Fats in this category contain at least 80 percent unsaturated fats. Most contain some essential fatty acids, and all contribute to the health and well-being of the mind and body.

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Note: The green light is not a license to overeat fat. Eating too much fat regardless of the type can cause obesity, which itself raises blood cholesterol levels.

Related Articles

  • Facts About Hydrogenated Fats and Oils
  • Why You Need Fats
  • What You Need to Know About Factory Fats
FOODCOMMENT
Human milkRichest overall source of healthy fats Algae oil Richest source of DHA
Algae oilRichest source of DHA
Flax seeds, flax oilRichest source of essential fatty acids and DHA.
Fish (cold-water, especially Alaskan salmon and tuna)Coldwater fish, especially wild salmon and tuna, are, like flax, rich sources of DHA.
Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin)Rich source of essential omega 6 fatty acids, mostly unsaturated fats.
Canola oilRanks second to flax oil as the oil richest in essential fatty acids, especially DHA
Soy products (e.g., soy milk, tofu, tempeh)Rich in essential omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, similar to fish oils. Also, contains lecithin; can reduce cholesterol
Olive oilMostly unsaturated fats
NutsAlmonds and walnuts contain 90 percent unsaturated fats; cashews are low in total fat that is mostly unsaturated.
Monounsaturated Fats
Peanut butterMostly unsaturated fats; buy organic and unhydrogenated; Also, good source of protein. Healthy alternatives to peanut butter are soybean butter, sesame seed butter, and cashew butter.
Hummus (a spread made from chickpeas)Approximately 85 percent unsaturated fats, plus good source of protein, folic acid, many vitamins and minerals, and no cholesterol
Wheat germMostly unsaturated, plus rich source of many other vitamins and minerals

 

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Yellow light fats

Fats in this category contain a balance of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids which, if eaten in moderation, contribute to the health and well-being of the body. Look for low-fat varieties. In addition, many of these foods are rich sources of other nutrients as well.

FOODSCOMMENT
Yogurt (low fat)Like all dairy products, mostly saturated fats.
Milk (1 or 2 percent)Around 50 percent of the fat content of whole milk
EggMore unsaturated than saturated fats; yolk is high in cholesterol; use only egg white if you are cholesterol sensitive.
Beef (sirloin, trimmed)High cholesterol, around 50-50 saturated and unsaturated fats.
Turkey (breast, skinless)Around 50-50 saturated and unsaturated fats.
Veal (loin)About 50-50 saturated and unsaturated fats
Cocoa butterEven though it is a saturated fat, it is metabolized like a monounsaturated fat similar to olive oil.
Coconut oilOver 90 percent saturated fats

 

Red light

You could eliminate all the fats in this category and you would be healthier for it. Any nutrient that might be in any of these fats could be obtained from other fats with better nutritional credentials.

FOODSCOMMENT
Tallow (chicken or beef)Ninety percent saturated fats
LardHigh in saturated fatty acids
Palm-kernel oilMostly saturated fats. Contains palmitoleic acid, a fat, which eaten in excess, can interfere with essential fatty acid metabolism.
“Hydrogenated,” or “partially hydrogenated”Tops the list of fats that are bad for you.
MargarineHigh in hydrogenated fats, especially those with a lot of coconut, palm- kernel, and hydrogenated oils.
ShorteningEspecially those with lard, hydrogenated oils, palm kernel, coconut oils, or tallow.
Cottonseed oilMore unsaturated than saturated fat, but usually hydrogenated and may contain pesticide residues.
Dr. Bill Sears
Dr. Bill Sears

Dr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his “little patients” call him, has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years. He received his medical training at Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the world’s largest children’s hospital, where he was associate ward chief of the newborn intensive care unit before serving as the chief of pediatrics at Toronto Western Hospital, a teaching hospital of the University of Toronto. He has served as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California School of Medicine, and University of California: Irvine. As a father of 8 children, he coached Little League sports for 20 years, and together with his wife Martha has written more than 40 best-selling books and countless articles on nutrition, parenting, and healthy aging. He serves as a health consultant for magazines, TV, radio and other media, and his AskDrSears.com website is one of the most popular health and parenting sites. Dr. Sears has appeared on over 100 television programs, including 20/20, Good Morning America, Oprah, Today, The View, and Dr. Phil, and was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine in May 2012. He is noted for his science-made-simple-and-fun approach to family health.

August 9, 2013 October 23, 2017 Dr. Bill Sears
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AskDrSears.com is intended to help parents become better informed consumers of health care. The information presented in this site gives general advice on parenting and health care. Always consult your doctor for your individual needs.

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