Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated Good Fats

You've heard just how bad Trans Fats are for you. But remember that not all fats are bad - some, used by Mediterranean cuisine for thousands of years - are quite healthy!

First, be sure to read about the Dangers of Trans Fats. Trans Fats have been shown in studies to raise your risk of diabetes up to 40% or higher. Avoid these bad fats.

Instead, it's time to turn to polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats - the fats used by cultures along the Mediterranean Sea for quite a long time. Their official names may sound long and complicated, but really, these are the simple fats -

* sunflower oil
* corn oil
* canola oil
* peanut oil
* olive oil

Each of these oils is well suited for a variety of cooking types, from stir fry to deep frying, from salad dressing to vegetable dip.

From the harvard.edu site:

"In the Nurses' Health Study, Harvard researchers found that replacing 80 calories of carbohydrates with 80 calories of either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats lowered the risk for heart disease by about 30 to 40 percent"

Keeping a healthy level of simple fats in your system is a great way to keep your healthy cholesterol levels high.

Another type of fat to get into your diet is Omega 3 Oils. These oils are found in fish, salmon especially, and are healthy in many different ways. Most diets now recommend you eat fish at least twice a week for this reason.

Cooking Fat and Oil Chart
Cooking Oil Type and Use Chart
Good Fats, Bad Fats and Ugly Fats
Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated Good Fats
Good Fats are REALLY Good
Omega-3 Fats, Fish Oil, DHA and EPA
Olives and Olive Oil
Avoid Soybean Oil
McDonalds and Partially Hydrogenated Oils
Trans Fats, Deep Frying and Atkins
Saturated Fats