Fats have often been misunderstood; both healthy and “bad” fats are looked at with some level of scrutiny. But it’s actually an important part of your diet to include healthy fats, such as monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, omega fatty acids and unsaturated fats in general. In this article, we’re going to be telling you what healthy fats are, the different types of healthy fats available to you and how to incorporate them smoothly into your everyday diet and lifestyle.
What are healthy fats?
Healthy fats are types of fats that are consumed in order to support your body’s key functions as opposed to harming your health. They’re mostly unsaturated fats, but there are some essential fatty acids that you need to consume to replace those that your body cannot make on its own.
There are some healthy fats that you need to include in your diet, and they include monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega fatty acids and unsaturated fats, generally. They each have different health benefits, from ensuring heart health to improving brain function. We’ll discuss the different types of healthy fats and their benefits shortly.
What are the different types of healthy fats?
There are several types of healthy fats that you should look to include in your diet. These should not be confused with their more unhealthy alternatives, such as saturated fats. The healthy fats that you should add to your everyday diet include monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, omega fatty acids and unsaturated fats as a whole. Let’s take a look at those different healthy fats in more detail:
Monounsaturated fats
Monounsaturated fats are proven to lower bad cholesterol, also known as LDL cholesterol. In addition, monounsaturated fats help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Some foods that you can eat that contain monounsaturated fat include cashews, almonds, peanuts, olive oil, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and avocado.
Polyunsaturated fats
Polyunsaturated fats, like monounsaturated fats, come under the umbrella of unsaturated fats. It often includes the type of fats that the body doesn’t naturally make. Polyunsaturated fats aid in reducing inflammation, supporting heart health and supporting brain function. The foods you can include in your diet that are high in polyunsaturated fats include fatty or oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts and certain cooking oils, like sunflower oil, corn and soybean oils. In addition, omega fatty acids come under the umbrella of polyunsaturated fats, which we’re going to be diving deeper into in just a moment.
Omega fatty acids
Omega fatty acids include omega-3 and omega-6. These fatty acids make up the polyunsaturated fats group. Omega fatty acids are often referred to as “special” polyunsaturated fats. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and also support heart health and brain function. Omega-3 can be found in food like fish, seeds and nuts, flaxseed and walnuts in particular.
Alongside omega-3 fatty acids, there are omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 is often found in cooking oils, like sunflower and olive, and nuts. It’s important to have some level of omega-6 intake in your diet as it can support skin and hair health. It’s important to note, however, that you balance your consumption of omega-6 with omega-3 for a well-rounded consumption of healthy fats in general.
Unsaturated fats
Unsaturated fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, both of which we’ve already touched upon. With this in mind, if you see that a specific food contains unsaturated fats, then rest assured that it’s either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Take a look at the headings above to learn more about both.
What are the benefits of healthy fats?
You might be wondering what the benefits are of including healthy fats in your diet. Well, we have several reasons as to why you should take it seriously. From heart health improvement to better nutrient absorption, and everything in between, here are just a few benefits of including healthy fats in your everyday diet:
- Heart health – unsaturated fats improve cholesterol levels and reduce cardiovascular risk
- Brain function – omega-3 fatty acids support brain cognition, mood regulation and memory capacity
- Weight management – healthy fats promote satiety, therefore preventing the possibility of overeating
- Inflammation control – omega-3 fats reduce inflammation to benefit joints and chronic disease prevention
- Better nutrient absorption – healthy fats aid in absorbing essential vitamins to ensure overall nutrient adequacy
How to include healthy fats in your diet
When it comes to including healthy fats in your diet, it’s important that you do so in moderation. There are several healthy options that you can add to your everyday diet, from oily fish to the odd avocado here and there. Here are a few ways in which you can successfully include healthy fats in your diet:
- Use quality olive oil or avocado oil in your everyday cooking or for dressing a salad
- Eat fatty, oily fish like salmon, sardines or mackerel at least once a week
- When you need a snack, eat nuts and seeds, such as flaxseed, walnuts or almonds
- Add an avocado to a meal once a week to add some creaminess
- Limit the amount of processed foods you eat
- Balance your intake of omega-6 and omega-3
Cater Oils is pleased to provide fresh cooking oil supplies to restaurants, cafes, schools, hospitals and more. We’re able to supply fresh olive oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil, rapeseed oil and pomace oil. Our team also offers a free used cooking oil collection service. In exchange for your waste cooking oil, we will give you either a credit note towards a fresh supply of cooking oil, or cash – whichever you’d prefer. We then send that used cooking oil away to be turned into biodiesel that can be utilised throughout the community. If you’d like further information about our cooking oil supply service or to learn more about our free waste cooking oil collection service, get in touch with a member of our friendly, professional team today – we’re always happy to hear from you.
