Monounsaturated Fats

Omega-3s are also influential in promoting cardiovascular health by lowering the heart rate and pressure, reducing risk of cancer, and improving mental health from conditions (like depression and bipolar disorder) and a host of other health conditions.

A person that is on a low-fat diet: eats less food; satisfies hunger; fills the stomach; and diminishes the desire to eat. In a low-fat diet, there is also less risk of a heart attack and/or stroke. The low-fat diet can also prevent and/or reduce the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cancer. In other words, prevents many illnesses. Some of the low-fat diet foods include vegetables and fruits that are very important to the human body. The low-fat diet helps a person maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of illnesses.

The reduction of the amount of saturated fats from one’s diet improves health greatly for cardiovascular health. According to nursingdegree.com, ”Eating nuts and whole grains, while eliminating dairy products and meat, will improve… cardiovascular health.” When eliminating food that comes from animals doing so eliminates all dietary cholesterol from one’s diet. Vegan diets go to extreme lengths to prevent heart attack and stroke. Plant-based foods are high in fiber and according to nursingdegree.net, “A diet high in fiber…leads to healthier bowel movements.” While obtaining nutrition from vegan diets also prevent disease at the same time. For example, it is stated in nursingdegree.com,” Eating a diet consisting of whole grains, along with fresh fruits and vegetables, can greatly reduce…chances of colon cancer.”

Generally, the word shortening means any group of solid fats. Shortenings generally consist of nearly 100 percent fat. It may be made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or both. Shortenings are used for may purposes, so manufacturers have formulated various kinds of fats with various properties. (Gisslen, 2013)

There are two types of unsaturated fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. All fats are composed of long carbon chains with a maximum of two hydrogen atoms attached to each carbon. Monounsaturated fats have one hydrogen atom missing from the carbon chain while polyunsaturated fats have two missing (Good Fats par. 3). Polyunsaturated fats come in two types, omega-3 and 6, and these types will be looked at later. Monounsaturated fats are not “essential fatty acids” (EFA’s) because the body can make this form from other fats and are commonly found in most of fat-rich foods. Otherwise, “essential fats” must be consumed through the diet. Monounsaturated fats can be found in cooking oils like canola, olive, peanut, and almond. Foods with higher levels of monounsaturated fats are nuts, peanut butter, meat, olives, and avocados. There are many positive aspects of monounsaturated fats that were not realized years ago. Monounsaturated fatty acids lower total cholesterol, but more importantly, it lowers low-density lipoproteins (LDL’s) which is considered the bad type of

Our bodies can make most of the fats that are needed, however a member of the University of Maryland’s Medical System stated that our bodies can’t make some of the essential fatty acids, also known as Omega 3s and Omega 6s. Omega 3 is very essential because it helps all of our tissues in our bodies function. Research shows that it can also help reduce inflammation and it may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis. Omega 3 lowers the levels of Triglycerides (fats in the blood), when your blood is filled with triglycerides it gets thick which makes your heart work harder than usual. It is also very important for infants to receive Omega 3 from their mothers during pregnancy are at risk for developing vision and nerve problems.

Some people may feel as though you should never eat anything with fatty contents due to the weight gain that this may cause, however, some fats can be helpful not hurtful! Certain types of fat products can help to promote good health, but a person will need to choose wisely in regards to these different types of dietary fat products. As well, they will need to balance out the amount of each portion required. Of course fat has a lot of calories, and if you eat too much of it, you will gain excessive weight, which will cause poor health. This in turn can cause cardiovascular disease, as well causing heart attacks or strokes. So, making sure you intake the correct portions of fat, can be critical.

We need some fat in our diets. Fat provides back up energy if the blood sugar supply runs out, protects are organs from shock, helps transmit nerve impulses and helps transport nutrients and metabolites across cell membranes. My intake level is in between the normal range. You can find fats in all types of food. There are two types of fat saturated and unsaturated. The type of fat we want are fat to come from is unsaturated fats. If you have a deficiency in fats you could have dry skin, hair loss, low body weight and bruising. If there is an excessive amount of fat you could be at risk for obesity, high cholesterol and hypertension. My current intake level is normal so I am going to leave it where it is.

Fats are a type of nutrient which is essential within a balanced diet. Dietary fats are essential as they give the body energy and supports cell growth. They also help to protect your organs and helps to insulate the body. Fats also helps the body to absorb nutrients and produce important hormones. There are two main types of fats which our body receives, these are saturated, and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats are usually obtained from animal sources, such as butter, cakes and biscuits. Polyunsaturated fats are mainly found in vegetable sources, such as sunflower oil, nuts and leafy greens.

A study by Vafeiadou et al. (2015), showed that dietary replacement of saturated fats (SFAs) by unsaturated fats did not improve cardiovascular function, but did result in beneficial effects on cardiovascular biomarkers. In this randomized, controlled, single-bind study 195 men and women at moderate risk for cardiovascular disease, were randomly assigned to a 16 week isoenergetic diet that were either rich in SFAs, MUFAs, or polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The primary cardiovascular measurement of function was flow-mediated dilation, and secondary measurements were blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and serum levels of various biomarkers (lipids, glucose, insulin resistance). The results of this study showed that replacing a SFA diet with those of MUFAs or PUFAs did not significantly change flow-mediated dilation, or arterial stiffness, a process which probably occurs at a rate much slower than the scope of this study. There was a significant decrease in recorded blood pressure of the MUFA and PUFA diet groups, compared to the increase in blood pressure of the SFA diet group. Other biomarkers such as total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio improved significantly in the MUFAs and PUFAs diet replacement compared to that of the SFA diet

When it comes to the areas I am doing well in, I was surprised. Grains and Saturated Fat is what I’m doing well in. That came as a surprise to me because I thought all the fats that entered my body were bad so I guess I control my saturated fats well. Grains were surprising as well because I don’t really eat all that many grains. The occasional bowl of cereal or toast but that is all.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, replacing saturated fat with mono- or polyunsaturated fats can help lower your blood cholesterol levels.

These include essential fatty acids (EFAs), linolenic and linoleic acid, which the body needs and cannot make on its own and has to get from the foods a person eats (Physicians Committee, n.d.). Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, have many benefits. Some of the benefits are lowering the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, helping with joint pain, lower depression levels, better visual and neurological development in infants, the possibility of improving lung function and improved mental skills, and they help to protect against Alzheimer’s and Dementia (WebMD, 2014). Research is still being done to determine all of the possible benefits of the EFAs.

These fats and oils actually go a long way in increasing your body fat. This can actually make you get heart related diseases. It can also lead to obesity and so on. This is the reason why you should avoid excess fats and oils. Some people have actually died as a result of heart related diseases such as high blood pressure and so on. It is important that you avoid taking foods containing saturated fats in them.

controversial information that challenges the norm of the medical establishment. The National Obesity Forum (NOF) and the Public Health Collaboration (PHC) has come out with the position that increasing fats and reducing carbohydrates can reverse obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. They talk about how the concern that eating fat will cause heart disease. Full-fat dairy foods, including milk, yogurt, and cheese has shown to protect the heart.