Dieting can be overwhelming. Sorting through labels- calories, fiber, good fat vs. bad fat and doesn’t it seem like the information is always changing? The food that we put in our bodies is essential to how we feel and how our bodies look so it’s essential that we’re making healthy food choices.

In this article we’ll begin unraveling the mysteries of eating healthy, starting with fats. This article will give you a brief explanation of the four types of fats (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats), how they affect your body and the healthiest way to consume them.

Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are fats that stay solid at room temperature, such as lard, coconut oil and cow butter. Saturated fats are what dieticians consider “bad fats” because they raise your bad cholesterol level, thereby raising your total cholesterol level.

People whose diet consists of many foods high in saturated fats typically are at a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats have a lower melting temperature than saturated fats, which means that they do not stay solid at room temperature. These types of fats can be found in: peanut oil, olive oil, nuts and avocados.

Monounsaturated fats are what dieticians consider the “good fats” that lower bad cholesterol without lowering your levels of good cholesterol. In addition, monounsaturated fats help to prevent against cardiovascular disease.

Polyunsaturated Fats
Polyunsaturated fats are fats that can stay liquid even at lower temperatures, such as corn oil and sunflower oil. Polyunsaturated fats are also found in soybeans, fish, fish oil and in grain products.

Dieticians consider polyunsaturated fats the “good fats” as they lower cholesterol and they help prevent cardiovascular disease by lowering the amount of fat in the blood.

Trans Fats
Trans fats are man-made fats that are created during the hydrogenation process. These types of fats are unnatural and toxic to your body. Trans fats are abundant in packaged and processed foods.

Dieticians consider trans fats the “bad fats” as they can cause cancer, diabetes, obesity, birth defects, low birth weight babies, and sterility.

How Fats Affect You
Fats are essential to your overall health. Fats provide energy and certain types of vitamins and minerals can only be processed by your body when fats are present. Trying to eliminate fats from your diet can lead to problems like vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

According to NBC.com a common weight loss myth includes completely cutting fat out of your diet to achieve weight loss. While you should limit foods high in saturated fat, some fat is necessary to maintain a healthy body. There are indeed many good fats that are required for optimal health. Healthy fats play an important role in helping our bodies use vitamins D, E, A, and K. However, moderation is key and the amount of healthy fats that you need is dependent on the total number of calories you require for weight loss.

Most dieticians will recommend that no more than 10 percent of your daily calories come from saturated fats, with up to 10 percent coming from polyunsaturated fats and up to 15 percent coming from monounsaturated fats. No amount of trans fats are safe or are recommended on a daily basis.

Here are a few foods recommended by CNN.com that can help you in your quest to consuming good fat:

Avocado
Add a bit of avocado to a sandwich or spinach salad to increase the amount of heart-healthy fats to your diet. Packed with monounsaturated fat, avocados can help lower LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body.

Olive oil
Full of monounsaturated fats, olive oil lowers bad LDL cholesterol and reduces your risk of developing heart disease. Look for extra-virgin or virgin varieties — they’re the least processed — and use them instead of butter when cooking.

Nuts
Almonds, walnuts, and macadamia nuts are all full of omega-3 fatty acids and mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Almonds are rich in omega-3s, plus nuts increase fiber in the diet.

The best way to keep an eye on your daily fat intake is to be cautious of what you eat and to be a good label reader. This will help you to keep your dietary fats at a healthy level.

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