The simplest way to understand that there is such a thing as good fat is like this... saturated fat is considered the "bad fat." We know that, right? So then, if saturated is bad, it would only make sense that UNsaturated would be good. See, I told you it was simple. There are two types of unsaturated fats... polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat.

The main difference between good fats and bad fats is that the bad (trans and saturated) will raise your blood cholesterol levels. The good (monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat) will actually help lower it. This will in turn put you at a lower risk for heart disease. In case you weren't sure, that would be a good thing.

So, the main question on your mind at this point is what foods contain these good types of fat. Coincidently, I was just about to answer that...

Monounsaturated fat

Olive oil
Peanut oil
Canola Oil
Avocados
Seeds and most nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, etc.)

For me, my diet gets all of it's monounsaturated fat through a combination of olive oil and peanuts.

Polyunsaturated fat

Fish (salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, sardines, etc.)
Fish oil supplements
Walnuts
Flax seed oil

For me, my diet gets most of it's polyunsaturated fat from flax seed oil. The rest comes from either fish (usually tuna) or a fish oil supplement.

Now, while all of these foods contain the good fats and you DO want to add some of them to your diet, there is no need to add ALL of them to your diet. Yes, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat is "good." Yes, trans and saturated fat are "bad." However, you still need to remember that both are still fat, and that means they still contain 9 calories per gram even if one is better than the other.

You should shoot for something in the range of 20-25% of your daily calorie intake coming from fat. Ideally you would want as little of this fat intake as possible to come from saturated and trans fats, and as much of it as possible to come from polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat.

So, look at the list, pick your favorites and add them to your diet. To make it easier keep in mind that there are flax seed oil and fish oil supplements, both of which I've used.

For more information about the 2 types of fats you shouldn't be eating, go here: trans fat and saturated fat

Questions, comments or feedback? Feel free to e-mail me at:
IntenseWorkout@gmail.com

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