Fats act as a source of energy and aid in cell growth. They give cushioning to our internal organs, help in absorbing vital nutrients such as fat soluble vitamins and aid in manufacturing hormones. Fats also play an important role in keeping our body warm.
While our body needs some fat to remain healthy, most of us consume more than necessary. This leads to higher cholesterol in the body and increases the risk of heart ailments. And heart disease is one of the most common complications faced by diabetic patients. So if you are diabetic, it is even more important to know what fats you can consume and what you should avoid.
Good fats – these are Monounsaturated fats, Polyunsaturated fats and Omega 3 fatty acids. These are found in olive/corn/sunflower/soybean/canola oils, almonds, avocado (butter fruit), green olives, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. Consuming these in moderate quantities not only gives your body the necessary fats but also helps in lowering cholesterol. Yes, good fats help in lowering total cholesterol. So, have foods that are rich in good fats, and stay within your total daily fat limit in your diet.
Bad fats – these are trans fats (solid fats, can in fact be called as ugly fats!), saturated fats, and foods containing cholesterol. You should not consume more than 7-8 gm of bad fats in a day. Ideally, the foods that contain these bad fats are to be avoided. Example include – bakery & processed snacks such as pastries, cookies, chips, cakes, deep fried namkeens. High-fat dairy products (butter, cheese), egg yolk, liver, organ meat, chicken with skin, palm oil and coconut oil are best avoided or consumed sparingly. Trans fat oils are cheaper hence street food (paani puri, samosas, kachoris, dahi bhalla, chaats, etc) and fast foods (burgers, fries, chips, donuts) come fried in them.
Now that you know about good and bad fats – we hope that next time you will make more informed food choices by saying Hello to Good Fats!
SugarFree Café | HealthPlix Blog 