Consume Saturated Fats with modesty

Fats of all kinds are one of the favorite whipping boys in the diet world. Just about every diet at some point goes the low fat route, offering alternatives and tricks to get around the fact that every chef knows: Fat tastes good.

We are genetically programmed to eat fat. Our caveman ancestors lived hand-to-mouth, and foods that contained fat were more valuable than gold. Fat gave energy, and energy meant more ability to hunt, breed and whack other cavemen with blunt objects.

Of course, in today's world not many of us live in caves. If we do, they're likely Unfortunately pancakes still contain saturated fats as well as trans fats customized caves with built-in waterfalls and remote-controlled electronic bats to give them that spooky touch. But we still crave fats, and are drawn to consume them. So what do we do, surrender to the call and blame heredity?

It's impossible to completely eliminate fat from your diet. You'd die. Fats are important for energy storage, making blood cells and even the manufacture of certain hormones that regulate body processes. Fat even plays a role in the health of neurons in the brain.

That said, however, a huge percentage of Americans consume far more fat daily than they actually need. There are items on the average fast-food menu that by themselves will provide more than a full day's requirement of fat. Cutting fat is an important step in the diet process, but which kind of fat? Here are the three main types:

Saturated fats: These come primarily from animal sources, such as meat and milk, but are also found in some plant-based foods such as palm kernel and coconut oils. They are known to raise LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood.
Unsaturated fats: These are divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, with both being liquid at room temperature but the mono- becoming solid at cold temperatures. They are derived from plant sources, and can help maintain HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL levels. Too much polyunsaturated, however, can also lower HDL levels.
Trans fats: Trans fats are the bad boys of the fat trio. They are found primarily in processed foods, and are used to extend the shelf life of processed foods. They manage to both raise LDL and lower HDL levels and should be avoided as much as possible.

While totally eliminating fat from the diet is impossible and unhealthy, you should strive for a healthy balance of saturated and unsaturated fats, while eliminating trans fats completely. It's not hard to do if you can just stay away from packaged baked goods and anything with "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oil.

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