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Certain fats should be part of your healthy diet. They can lower your risk of disease. But you should make sure that you’re eating “good” fats instead of “bad” fats.

Your body uses fat for energy. It also uses fat to build nerve tissue and hormones and to control inflammation. Fat also helps your body absorb vitamins A, D, E and K from the foods you eat. They provide health benefits and can lower your risk of disease.

Consuming too much fat can contribute to obesity. Fat calories turn into body fat more easily than carbohydrates or proteins. Fat in your diet can confuse your appetite, so you can’t tell when you are full. Some fats also raise your total cholesterol and blood pressure, and may increase your risk of some cancers, heart disease and diabetes.

Path to improved health

Everyone has different calorie needs. Your healthcare provider can help you figure out how many calories you need and how many of these can come from fat.

The bad fats

Limit or avoid these fats:

• Saturated fats occur naturally in some animal products. This includes meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products such as cheese, cream and whole milk. Palm, coconut and other tropical oils, as well as cocoa butter, also contain saturated fat.
• Trans fats are made when liquid oils get turned into solid fats. This process is called hydrogenation. Trans fats are found in a lot of processed foods. All food companies have to list trans fats on nutrition fact tables. Check the ingredients list and look for the words “hydrogenated oil.”

You should limit saturated fats and avoid trans fats. They often are found in fast food, fried foods, and snack foods. They also can be in desserts and commercial baked goods. These bad fats increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. They decrease your HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

The good fats

• Monounsaturated fats are found in canola, olive, and peanut oils. They are in a variety of nut oils and butters. Avocados, legumes (beans and peas), and  seeds also contain these fats.
• Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, and safflower oil. They are in soybeans, legumes, grains and nuts. Several seeds, like sesame and, sunflower also contain these fats.
• Omega-3 fatty acids are usually found in seafood. This includes salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel. Flaxseeds, flaxseed oil and walnuts also contain omega-3s.

Things to consider

You don’t have to cut all fat out of your diet, but you should limit the amount of fat you eat.

Try to eat foods made with unsaturated fat and avoid foods that are high in saturated and trans fats.

Other things you can do include:

• Avoid fast food. It almost always contains trans fat.
• Avoid fried foods.
• Limit the amount of red meat you eat. Instead, try to eat baked or broiled fish, poultry and vegetable proteins.
• Use canola oil when you are baking.
• Use olive oil when you are cooking. You also can use it in place of salad dressing and as a spread on bread
• Make healthier snack choices. For example, eat a small handful of unsalted peanuts or edamame (soybeans) instead of potato chips.
• Try a serving of avocado on your sandwich or in your salad. Nuts or garbanzo beans are also good on a salad.
• Use liquid or soft tub margarine instead of butter. Look for margarine that has low saturated fat and no trans fat.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Health Canada Website:
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/nutrients/fats.html