Question

Which foods are sources of saturated fats and trans fatty acids and why should they be avoided?

Answer 1

There are two main types of potentially harmful dietary fats:

Saturated fat. This type of fat comes mainly from animal sources of food, such as

• fatty cuts of beef, pork, and lamb.
• dark chicken meat and poultry skin.
• high-fat dairy foods (whole milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, ice cream)
• tropical oils (coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter)
• lard.

Saturated fats raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good") cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol levels, which may increase risk of cardiovascular disease.

Trans fatty acids. This type of fat occurs naturally in some foods in small amounts. But most trans fats are made from oils through a food processing method called partial hydrogenation. Sources of trans fat are-

• Crackers, cookies, cakes, frozen pies, and other baked goods.
• Snack foods (such as microwave popcorn)
• Frozen pizza.
• Fast-food.
• Vegetable shortenings and some stick margarines.
• Coffee creamer.
• Refrigerated dough products (such as biscuits and cinnamon rolls)

These partially hydrogenated trans fats can increase total blood cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but lower HDL cholesterol. This can increase risk of cardiovascular disease.

Eating trans fats and saturated fats increases risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It's also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. To reduce the risk of heart diseases, we should avoid trans fatty acids and saturated fats.