Fats

At 9 calories per gram, fats can add up quickly in your diet, yet experts recommend that you get only 7% of your calorie intake from fat. Fats also affect your cholesterol, and there are both good and bad fats. The best kind of fats are called unsaturated fats, and can be found in oils like olive and canola oils, nuts and seeds. These fats can help your body get rid of cholesterol. Saturated fats often have had hydrogen added to them to make them more solid. Other saturated fats are found in cream, butter and meats. They can raise your blood cholesterol. Its wise to learn which is which and check nutrition labels to make proper choices.

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QDoes eating fat make me fat?

3 Answers

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A Neal Spruce , Fitness, answered on behalf of dotFIT

Eating more calories than you burn makes you fat, whether those calories come from carbohydrates, protein or fat. Any amount of food/calories you consume over the average amount of calories you burn will be stored as fat. At the end of the day it is our non-fitness friendly environment that forces us to sit or not move most of the day, combined with our biology that has hard wired us to eat when food is available (and all of it) whether we are hungry or not that has led to overweight societies in developed nations. Americans eat 250 more calories per day than they did a decade ago and they move less because of technology and lifestyle.

Just remember one thing: excess calories make you fat. Your daily calories can contain anywhere between 15-30% fat as long as the majority comes from polyunsaturated fats, which contribute to your health. Avoid saturated fats, which primarily come from animal sources as much as possible.

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QWhat are monounsaturated fats?

1 Answer

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A Intermountain Healthcare answered

Monounsaturated fat is a type of unsaturated fat that may lower total cholesterol while keeping high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol high. Avocados, olive oil, peanut oil, and canola oil are high in monounsaturated fat.
QWhat are the side effects of eating saturated fat?

1 Answer

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A RealAge answered

For a real happy meal that's kind to your waist, keep saturated fat low and trans fat close to zero. If your refrigerator is stocked with pepperoni pizza, cookie dough and full-fat cheeses, it's likely you're getting too much saturated fat and not enough fruits and vegetables. Saturated and trans fats boost body-wide inflammation and gunk-up your arteries. Some foods with saturated fat are healthy and can still be enjoyed, like avocados, salmon and nuts, but most others should be tossed. You'll start losing your belly fat and power-washing your arteries, too.