“Healthy Fats”

“Healthy Fats”
By John
Published: June 21, 2010

TTMJ – What kind of fat should I eat? I heard walnuts are better than almonds and wanted to make sure I get “good fat” in my diet.


Interesting you should ask…I just got done hanging out with a friend who is well versed in the nutrition, how the body works and the systems associated with fat consumption. His contention is that your fat consumption should come entirely from certain mono-unsaturated and saturated fats.


Anything else and we are asking for trouble.

Mono-unsaturated are fatty acids that have a single double bond in the fatty acid chain and all of the remainder of the carbon atoms in the chain are singular.


This is all well and good, but what kind of foods fit this? Avocados, olives and olive oil are good choices to make.


And what about nuts? What should one should you eat? Walnuts, almond or pecans?


Walnuts are especially high in linoleic acid. Some people will argue that walnuts have a good omega-3:omega-6 ratio but the omega-3 is the short chain alpha-linoleic acid, very little (<5%) of which is converted to EPA and virtually none to DHA. The omega-3 (alpha linolenic acid) that is in walnuts is not all that useful whereas the omega-6 (linoleic acid) is problematic. If you are going to eat nuts the best ones are macadamia and cashews.


So avoiding foods high in linoleic acid is the key to making your selections.


Saturated fat is a fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acid radicals. Most people try to avoid saturated fat like it is the plague but we have come to understand that our bodies are extremely adapt at dealing with saturated fats.


Where are the major places saturated fats are found? Coconut and meat from animals feed on a diet of grass, tallow, lard and bone marrow.


I penned a post last month dealing with Saturated Fats, for more information click here to read the post on Saturated Fats.


I know this goes against what many people are promoting for healthy fats but after seeing the research and studies associated with linoleic acid and it’s effects on the body this is what I am doing.


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