Let’s clear up some issues first. Not all fats are bad and in fact, most of our fats are actually quite beneficial. We all know about Omega 3, a poly-unsaturated FATTY Acid. Omega 6, 7 & 9 are the same, good fats.
Bad fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats, are guilty of the unhealthy things that all fats have been blamed for—weight gain, clogged arteries and so forth.
But good fats such as the monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega-3s have the opposite effect.
As a matter of fact, healthy fats play a huge role in helping you manage your moods, stay on top of your mental game, fight fatigue, improve fertility and even control your weight. They are essential to our hormonal make-up and the structure of the egg and sperm.
The answer isn’t cutting out the fat – it’s learning to make healthy choices – and to replace bad fats with good ones that promote health and well-being. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as the “good fats” because they are good for your heart, your cholesterol, and your overall health. Saturated fats and trans fats are known as the “bad fats” because they increase your risk of disease and elevate cholesterol.
The Bad Guys:
Trans-fats are used to extend the shelf life of processed foods, typically cookies, cakes, fries and donuts. Any item that contains ‘hydrogenated oil,’ or ‘partially hydrogenated oil,’ likely contains trans fats. Hydrogenation is the chemical process that changes liquid oils into solid fats. The tide is turning against trans fats. The European Food Safety Authority made its stance known in 2004 – these things are unhealthy is the bottom line.
We strictly recommend reducing or avoiding these fats. They can have a metabolic imbalance on our bodies and can play havoc with the biochemical pathways where we should be using omega 3. For example, if trans-fats replace DHA in the sperm, the sperm’s head cannot penetrate the egg. If the trans fat is in the egg, then the sperm cannot penetrate it. ONLY USE UNSATURATED FATS. There is still some debate about all saturated fat – the classic example is coconut oil, which is causing some debate. A small amount of anything will not be the end of us either.
And the Good: Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are two types of unsaturated fatty acids. They are derived from vegetables and plants. Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature but begin to solidify at cold temperatures (your bottle of olive oil for example). This type of fat is preferable to other types of fat and can be found in olives, olive oil, nuts, peanut oil, canola oil and avocados. Studies have shown that these kinds of fats can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats are also liquid at room temperature. These are found in safflower, sesame, corn, cottonseed and soybean oils. This type of fat has also been shown to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol, but too much can also lower your HDL cholesterol. Omega-3 fatty acids include an “essential” fatty acid, which means it’s critical for our health but cannot be manufactured by our bodies. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include cold-water fish, flax seed, soy, and walnuts. These fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and also boost our immune systems.
The good guys on first view are not as appetising sadly, but they will make you more fertile, be mentally sharper, improve the manufacture of serotonin and melatonin, among other hormones and generally make you healthier!!
