Are FATS good for you?

There is always this notion nowadays that fats are harmful to health. But I bet that you know someone that has been slim without that muffin top or beer-belly that is either sick or has suffered an early demise.  Fats has always been the blamed medical culprit but surprisingly Filipinos continue to eat fatty filled foods coupled with a very salty diet.

Let us try to classify these fats for a moment. According to Mayo clinic:

Harmful dietary fat

The two main types of potentially harmful dietary fat:

• Saturated fat. This is a type of fat that comes mainly from animal sources of food. Saturated fat raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Saturated fat may also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Trans fat. This is a type of fat that occurs naturally in some foods, especially foods from animals. But most trans fats are made during food processing through partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. This process creates fats that are easier to cook with and less likely to spoil than are naturally occurring oils. These trans fats are called industrial or synthetic trans fats. Research studies show that synthetic trans fat can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. This can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Most fats that have a high percentage of saturated fat or trans fat are solid at room temperature. Because of this, they're typically referred to as solid fats. They include beef fat, pork fat, shortening, stick margarine and butter.

Healthier dietary fat

The two main types of potentially helpful dietary fat:

• Monounsaturated fat. This is a type of fat found in a variety of foods and oils. Studies show that eating foods rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. Research also shows that MUFAs may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes.
• Polyunsaturated fat. This is a type of fat found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. Evidence shows that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. PUFAs may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. One type of polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3s, found in some types of fatty fish, appear to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. They may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels.

Foods made up mostly of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil, safflower oil, peanut oil and corn oil.

Now, as you can see not all fats are really that nasty,  it is not knowing which fats are helpful and consuming them is the missing link in our fried filled nation.

Consuming "kalye" foods can also be nasty since vendors procure their "used" cooking oil from restaurants, fast food chains.  Cooking oils have a cooking "cycle" where there is only a limited amount of use they can take.  If you noticed Jollibee for instance, they have a protocol to use on the number of times fries or chicken can be fried with.

What happens when the maximum number of times the cooking oil is used? Here is an article from www.whatscookingamerica.net:

"A recent study found that a toxin called 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) forms when such oils as canola, corn, soybean and sunflower oils are reheated. Consumption of foods containing HNE from cooking oils has been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, various liver disorders, and cancer. Once absorbed in the body, HNE reacts with DNA, RNA and proteins affecting basic cellular processes".

Now you might have second thoughts about the street food which have a distinct taste. 

 For good reason foods cooked using rancid oils have a dangerous effect on our health, and scrimping on food cost for these cheaper alternatives may have long and detrimental effects.  I don't like to sound like the ultimate kill-joy, but consuming these foods occassionally may not be that harmful, but if you make it a habit like wearing a shoe, you may be headed for trouble.

On future parts of this article, we will discuss how to determine if your cooking oil is rancid and look into other BENEFICIAL sources of Fats.