Good Fats help your health!

Good Fats help your health!

Published March 17, 2012

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids or MUFA are found in plant foods like nuts, avocados, olive oil, and canola oil, as well as in poultry.  MUFA’s can lower cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids or PUFAs are found in fish like salmon and mackerel as well as in corn and soybean oils. I personally try to avoid corn and soybean oils because they tend to be genetically modified foods.  Corn and soybeans are Omega 6 fatty acids coming from poor quality sources. We tend to eat too much of these omega 6s. We need to focus more on omega 3 fatty acids.  PUFAs also improve cholesterol levels.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids aer PUFAs are found in fish and plants.

“Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are incorporated into every cell of the body, and are key structural, metabolic, and regulatory components of cells. They improve and regulate cellular function, reduce inflammation, modulate immune response, optimize health and well-being, and help prevent chronic disease.” The AIM Companies

“There are two main sources of omega-3 fatty acids: marine sources (fatty fish) provide EPA and DHA, and plant food sources (flax, walnuts, canola oil) provide ALA….Omega-3 fatty acids have shown to lower the levels of blood triglycerides and inflammatory markers. These tend to be elevated in people with insulin resistance, who are likely to especially benefit from taking omega-3 fatty acids.” Stanford School of Medicine.

Should we supplement Omega 6 and 9?

Omega-6 content from healthy sources, such as olive oil, is lacking in the average diet. Most people consume too much omega 6 and 9 from unhealthy sources such as hydrogenated oils.  Olive oil has been found to decrease blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart attack, decrease high lipids, and reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. I do think we should supplement the 6 and 9 as well to ensure that we are consuming healthy sources.

Flaxseed oils is not only rich in omega 3 but it also contains omega 6. Sunflower and sesame oils also contain healthy sources of omega 6 and 9.

I use AIMega from The AIM Companies. It has a good ratio of organic seed oils.

■ 1,140 mg omega-3 fatty acids

■ 570 mg omega-6 fatty acids

■ 600 mg omega-9 fatty acids

Don’t be afraid to eat the real stuff.  For example, eat natural peanut butter, with no added hydrogenated oils or sugars.  Do not buy the reduced fat peanut butter thinking it will benefit your diet. They tend to add sugar, salt and corn syrup to these reduced fat products.  The real stuff contains beneficial fats so go ahead and enjoy it.  Just don’t use too much.  Did you know that there is only 32 calories in a teaspoon of peanut butter.  If you are worried about gaining weight just use 1 teaspoon.