www.lowfatweekly.com     Saturated and Unsaturated Fats

** Saturated Fat - is found in some plants (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat), and animal products (saturated fat). Your blood cholesterol could be increased, due to consuming saturated fats in your diet. Total fat and saturated fat intake should be kept low in order to bring an elevated cholesterol level down. But keep in mind that eating the unsaturated fats listed above may help lower your cholesterol and this becomes tricky... While you do want to lower the LDL (Bad) cholesterol level, you do not want to lower the HDL (Good) cholesterol.
**Unsaturated Fats - Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated are two unsaturated fats. Choosing the unsaturated fats, and limiting saturated fats may help you decrease the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol.
**Saturated fats - according to the US Dietary guidelines, it is recommended to have less than 10% of calories come from saturated fat . Saturated fats from animal products are the main sources of saturated fat in most diets and tend to elevate blood cholesterol. The tropical oils, such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils and hydrogenated fats like lard, provide smaller amounts than the animal fat sources. The goal is to decrease these fats by limiting the use, the "Bad" cholesterol that can be found in meat and dairy increases the LDL.
**Monounsaturated fat and Polyunsaturated fat - are fats mostly that come from plant (vegetable) sources. These fats may me substituted for the saturated fats, but the key is for them to be eaten in moderation.
**Monounsaturated fat - found in Olive oil  and Canola oil, have HDL cholesterol raising properties, as well as LDL cholesterol lowering properties. According to a health study, they are known to > increase HDL, which helps fight the bad cholesterol, (this is a good property) and reduces < LDL, as well as total cholesterol --also good properties!
**Polyunsaturated fats are found also in plant (vegetable sources)
they are in oils such as:

> Corn oil
> Safflower
> Sunflower
>margarine's and spreads

Leading health experts, (NHLI) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, says polyunsaturated fat lowers < LDL (good property of polyunsaturated fat) but the down side to this-- it also lowers the good cholesterol (HDL) which means you have to work on more ways to increase > HDL.    

Lowering Saturated fat is important because it increases total blood cholesterol and  LDL  cholesterol (bad cholesterol) monounsaturated fats help increase HDL (good cholesterol) and lower LDL (bad cholesterol) the percentage of your fat intake should come from monounsaturated fat. About a third or less  of your total daily fat intake should come from the other type of fat.    

How much fat can I eat?      How much fat is allowed?    Good and Bad Cholesterol                                                          

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