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Lots of people are on diets and their efforts should be commended for it. Or should they? The idea of watching what you eat is always a good idea, however many of us don't have all the information we need to make the right decisions, even though we may think we do. We assume we're eating what's good for us, but are we really? A big part of the problem stems from the mystery around fat. How can incorporating fat into a diet be healthy? we ask. Well, you might be interested to know that there is such a thing as healthy fat and also that we need a certain level of it in our bodies to ensure proper function and good health ' 3 to 9 servings a day to be exact. Yes, it sounds confusing. That's why we've listed each of the most common types of fats here for you with a good outline of what each is, including whether or not it's one we need to incorporate into our diet or avoid at all costs.

SATURATED FAT

Saturated fats raise our LDL levels and result in the bad cholesterol of our blood. Thus, it is obviously one of the fat types we want to avoid in mass consumption because aside from high cholesterol, the effects it has on our body can also lead to heart disease. Saturated fat is mostly found in food products that result from an animal source. However, some also stem from plants as well and are widely used in commercially made products, e.g. junk food. So it's always a wise choice to check the nutrition labels on any processed and prepared, packaged foods that you're thinking about buying before you put it in your basket and take it home if your goal is to follow a diet that is healthy. Here's a list of some of the foods that contain saturated fat:

' Butter
' Cream
' Cheese
' Coconut Oil
' Palm Oil

TRANS FAT

Trans fats and trans fatty acids are bad, bad, bad. Of course, just like saturated fats, they taste good. So if you must, consume in very small quantities but definitely not on a consistent basis. And always keep in mind that they raise our bad cholesterol and lower the good (figures). Trans fat, or TFA as is also known as, start out in a liquid form and are then commercially processed to become solid at room temperature, as in shortening. When you see the terms 'hydrogenated' and 'partially hydrogenated' listed as an ingredient on that bag of chips or numerous other forms of unhealthy snacks, this is what it's referring to as well. Trans fat is used in these products to increase their shelf life so that should be sending up a red flag for you anyway and telling you that they will not keep your diet healthy. Trans fats are also used to enhance the flavor of fried food, which unfortunately they do. And they're also used in some brands of margarine as well ' which is kind of good news for all you butter lovers. You'll start seeing the actual phrase 'Trans Fat' on more and more nutrition labels in the very near future as the FDA has enforced this requirement within the commercially processed food industry.

MONOUNSATURATED AND POLYUNSATURATED

These two types of fats are actually good for you. They raise the good cholesterol in your blood while lowering the bad. To keep your diet healthy, choose more foods that contain these fats instead of the other two discussed above. The list of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated-rich food includes:

' Avocados
' Sunflower Seeds
' Sesame Seeds
' Canola Oil
' Olive Oil
' Peanut Oil

So now that the fat mystery is solved, take advantage of this information and use it to your benefit so that you can keep your diet healthy.

How can incorporating fat into a diet be healthy? we ask. Well, you might be interested to know that there is such a thing as healthy fat and also that we need a certain level of it in our bodies to ensure proper function and good health ' 3 to 9 servings a day to be exact. Yes, it sounds confusing. That's why we've listed each of the most common types of fats here for you with a good outline of what each is, including whether or not it's one we need to incorporate into our diet or avoid at all costs.

SATURATED FAT

Saturated fats raise our LDL levels and result in the bad cholesterol of our blood. Thus, it is obviously one of the fat types we want to avoid in mass consumption because aside from high cholesterol, the effects it has on our body can also lead to heart disease. Saturated fat is mostly found in food products that result from an animal source. However, some also stem from plants as well and are widely used in commercially made products, e.g. junk food. So it's always a wise choice to check the nutrition labels on any processed and prepared, packaged foods that you're thinking about buying before you put it in your basket and take it home if your goal is to follow a diet that is healthy. Here's a list of some of the foods that contain saturated fat:

' Butter
' Cream
' Cheese
' Coconut Oil
' Palm Oil

TRANS FAT

Trans fats and trans fatty acids are bad, bad, bad. Of course, just like saturated fats, they taste good. So if you must, consume in very small quantities but definitely not on a consistent basis. And always keep in mind that they raise our bad cholesterol and lower the good (figures). Trans fat, or TFA as is also known as, start out in a liquid form and are then commercially processed to become solid at room temperature, as in shortening. When you see the terms 'hydrogenated' and 'partially hydrogenated' listed as an ingredient on that bag of chips or numerous other forms of unhealthy snacks, this is what it's referring to as well. Trans fat is used in these products to increase their shelf life so that should be sending up a red flag for you anyway and telling you that they will not keep your diet healthy. Trans fats are also used to enhance the flavor of fried food, which unfortunately they do. And they're also used in some brands of margarine as well ' which is kind of good news for all you butter lovers. You'll start seeing the actual phrase 'Trans Fat' on more and more nutrition labels in the very near future as the FDA has enforced this requirement within the commercially processed food industry.

MONOUNSATURATED AND POLYUNSATURATED

These two types of fats are actually good for you. They raise the good cholesterol in your blood while lowering the bad. To keep your diet healthy, choose more foods that contain these fats instead of the other two discussed above. The list of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated-rich food includes:

' Avocados
' Sunflower Seeds
' Sesame Seeds
' Canola Oil
' Olive Oil
' Peanut Oil

So now that the fat mystery is solved, take advantage of this information and use it to your benefit so that you can keep your diet healthy.