[What is Fat] [How Does Fat Affect My Health] [Different Types of Fats]

Learner Description: This page was developed for Diabetes Prevention Program Participants to gain an understanding of the different types of fats to help make informed decisions to prevent diabetes.

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What is Fat?

Fat is a substance that helps the body absorb some vitamins. It also protects organs, helps us grow and keeps us healthy. Our body needs fat to survive, so having a fat-free diet would not be a healthy choice.

We can find fat in a variety of the foods we eat such as meat, dairy, and foods that are pre-packaged and fried. Nuts, seeds, oils, and butter also contain fat. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories. This is more than double the amount of calories compared to carbohydrates and protein (4 calories per gram).

How Does Fat Affect My Health?

It is recommended to consume no more 25%-30% of fat from calories each day to survive (and no more than 10% of saturated fats per day). If we go over that amount, our bodies store it in fat tissues. This is the reason for weight gain. If we want to lose and maintain a healthy weight, it is important to control the intake of fat. Another good reason to pay attention to fat consumption is that too much fat is not good for our heart depending on the type of fat that is ingested.

Different Types of Fats

Mono-unsaturated Fat

Mono-unsaturated fats are healthy fats. Healthy fats are liquid at room temperature just like mono-unsaturated fats. These types of fats are also good for our heart. This can help improve cholesterol levels by lowering LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Mono-unsaturated fats can be found in plant foods such as...

• Sesame oil
• Olive Oil
• Canola Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Nuts
• Peanut oil and peanut butter
• Avocado

Polyunsaturated Fat

Polyunsaturated fats are also heart-healthy fats that come in liquid form at room temperature. This type of fat contains Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids are essential for cell growth and brain function. Our bodies do not produce these fatty acids naturally, so it is important to make sure we get these from the food we eat. Polyunsaturated fats can be found in animal and plant foods such as…

• Safflower oil
• Soybean oil
• Corn oil
• Flax seeds and flax oil
• Sunflower seeds
• A variety of fish such as albacore, trout, salmon, mackerel, and herring
• Walnuts

Saturated Fat

Saturated fats are known as unhealthy fats. This type of fat increases the “bad” cholesterol (LDL) levels which can increase the risk of getting heart disease. These types from fats come mostly from animals such as meat and dairy, but they can also be found in pre-packaged and fried foods. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and can be found in foods such as…

• Coconut and palm oils
• High-fat cuts of meat
• Butter
• Ice cream products
• Whole-fat milk and cream
• High-fat cheeses

Trans Fat

Trans fat is a liquid fat that is processed into solid fat. Also, some meats and dairy products have trans fats in them that occur naturally. The trans fats found in processed foods are the most dangerous of the fats. Trans fats not only increase LDL or “bad” cholesterol, they also lower HDL or ”good” cholesterol. “Partially hydrogenated” oils or shortening on labels mean trans fat. Trans fats can be found in foods such as…

• Cookies
• Crackers
• Baked goods
• Pies
• Fried foods