Healthy Fat: How to know the differenceNatural occurring fats are healthy fats. However, as with most things this issue is not all black and white. Some fats have been unfairly labelled as bad. If you have been told that coconut and palm kernel oil are unhealthy, you may want to reconsider. The following information will show you why that is not accurate. There are different kinds of fats. Each fat has a different structure, which determines how it is used by the body. This is what defines a healthy fat. There are 2 different kinds of fats. The presence of double bonds determines the difference between each fat. The more double bonds present, the less stable a fat is.
* unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature
and have 1 or more double bonds. These fats include:
safflower, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and flax
There are 3 different types of unsaturated fats:
Eating healthy fat in the proper balance is what determines your health status.
* saturated fats are solid at room temperature
and have no double bonds. These fats are found in meat,
egg yolks, dairy products and fish. Coconut, palm kernel
and palm oils, also contain saturated fats.
It is important to realize that all fats are made up of a combination of the above. For instance, beef fat, the most commonly known saturated fat is actually 54% unsaturated. This comes as a very big surprise to most people. It is also important to understand that what an animal is fed determines how saturated that animal’s fat becomes. Not all meat is created equal! Your body actually makes saturated fats and they are necessary for good health. Breast milk has lots of saturated fat so, if saturated fats were not important or necessary, why are they found in breast milk? Why, are breastfed babies healthier than formula fed babies? Fats having 2 or more double bonds are unstable. Heat and light break down the fat causing rancidity. This leads to the formation of trans fats. In other words, a healthy fat has now gone BAD. These fats should be stored in cool, dark places, and should never be used in high temperature cooking. These include flaxseed oil, unprocessed, cold-pressed canola oil and unprocessed, cold-pressed soybean oil. These should only be used for cold preparation such as salad dressings. Saturated fats have no double bonds so are very stable. Heat and light have little effect on them. These are the fats to use for high temperature cooking like deep fat frying, etc. These include coconut oil, palm oil, lard, tallow, high oleic safflower and sunflower seed oil. Natural fats and oils that can be used for cooking and for salad dressing include corn oil, peanut oil and olive oil. Buy only natural oils that are cold pressed and not extracted using solvents (these cause the oil to go rancid or produce free radicals). Using a healthy fat in the wrong way gives rise to trans saturated fats. These fats are the only bad fats. Other Related Articles:Food and Wellness: Making Sense of the Confusion about Fatreturn from healthy fat to Nutritional Supplements That Won't Risk Your Health or Harm Your Family? 
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