What are good fats? Do we need them?

Fats are a very important part of our diets to metabolize nutrients that are not water soluble, including vitamins A, D, E, and K. Fats also support our integument system of skin, hair, and nails. They protect and cushion our organs.

There are three types of fats: saturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats. This has to do with the number of hydrogen atoms bonded to a fat’s carbon atoms. In saturated fats, the carbon atom is bonded to two hydrogen atoms.

In unsaturated fats, the carbon atom is bonded to one hydrogen atom, and there can be a double bond between the carbon atoms of two fat molecules. When the unsaturated fat molecule’s double bond occurs on opposite sides of the carbon atom, it is a trans-isomer fat, commonly known as a trans fat.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, and they include foods produced from animals such as fatty meats and cheese. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, and nature gives them to us both as monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, and polyunsaturated fats such as corn oil.

The latter includes both Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids such as salmon, flax seed, sunflower oil, saffron oil, and even pumpkin oil. Many foods are a combination of fats, such as butter, which is 60% saturated fat, 30% monounsaturated, and 10% polyunsaturated.

Foods containing trans fats are often hydrogenated—bonded to hydrogen molecules—to extend their shelf life. In fact, when peanuts are ground up into peanut butter, the healthy peanut oil is extracted and marketed independently. The peanuts are mixed with hydrogenated oils that render standard peanut butter much less healthy.

That’s a perfect example of why it’s so important to read food labels. Trans fats are the worst type for your cardiac health. We recommend that you keep your overall fat intake at a low level by limiting processed oils and butters. The Omega fatty acids and Omega 3 fatty supplements are the best way to keep healthy fats in your diet.