Few types of nutrition have had as much controversy around them as dietary fat- cursed by some as the source of all evil while praised by others as a healthy and necessary substance.

What makes this issue so complicated is how many TYPES of fat are out there. Some of them are considered healthy, others deadly. Most of the time they’re fought over.

So in today’s feature article, I’ll shed some light on the issue of dietary fat, different types, different health benefits and harmful effects. No doubt many will disagree; others will praise the conclusions. What’s totally sure- the discussion will be lively.

So read on and make your comment below…

The biggest concern many people have about fat is that it will… well… make you fat. This has been the source of thousands of low fat diets as well as sticking the low-fat label on anything from frozen food to regular milk.

But there is something to this trend. It takes less energy for your body to transform dietary fat into body fat than, for example, protein and carbohydrates. Fat also includes twice as many calories per gram as protein and carbohydrates. So even if you eat less, you may store more body fat.

Very few types of naturally processed foods, however, include enough fat naturally to be concerning. A 300g serving of beef steak (something many people consider fatty) has only 13g of fat. Of that, only 4g is saturated fat – 20% of the recommended daily consumption. The same piece includes 77g of protein – all the protein most people need.

Bacon is probably one of the fattiest meats you can eat. Still, five slices of bacon only count for 25% of the recommend daily consumption of fats. And it’s only that much because pigs have been bred to be much fattier they used to be.

One cup of whole milk (3.25%) however, includes 8% of daily fat and 23% of recommended saturated fat consumption. As most people are more likely to consume several cups of milk than several 300g servings of steak, caution is needed with dairy consumption. That’s probably one of the reasons why low-fat milk has become so popular. For reasons unrelated to this article, however, I consider cow’s milk some of the most harmful types of food that can be found in nature.

So you probably won’t consume more than the recommended amount of fat if you eat moderately and stick to “natural” processing of your food like oven baking, pan frying, broiling and boiling. This is one of the reasons why diets like the “cave man diet” where all whole food is allowed as long as the caveman would eat it, are so successful.

If, however, you dare to enter the realm of more processed or deep fried foods, you’re in for a rude awakening. Two deep fried chicken breasts, for example, include a whopping 60% of daily recommended fat. Add French fries to that and you have blown your allotment for the day all your fat in one meal. Anything after that is an overload.

You’re also going to get more calories per gram from most highly processed foods than any naturally cooked and grown type of whole foods. One slice of the low-fat frozen chocolate cake found in the supermarket may include 300 calories that convert almost immediately into fat in the body. You’d have to eat nine slices of bacon to get the same amount of calories.

Now I’m not promoting gulping up on beef steak and bacon every day. In fact, there are many health reasons not to. And, I consider a diet high in whole grain, fruits and vegetables to be much healthier. I’m simply making an extreme example to show that “low fat” doesn’t necessary translate into healthy.

To take things a step further, that wonderful salad on the healthy section of the menu may include more fat and more calories in the dressing than the 300g beef steak on the other side of the menu. That doesn’t necessarily mean, though, that the beef steak is the healthier choice.

Which finally brings us to the main issue of this article, i.e., the complicated issue of different types of fat.

Fats are usually divided into four categories:

– Monounsaturated
– Polyunsaturated
– Saturated
– Trans fats

Trans Fats:

Eliminating the low hanging fruit first, let’s make it clear that Trans Fats are the worst kind of fat, especially artificial Trans fats.

You see, both meat and milk include small amounts of Trans Fats. Recent studies (and I guess they’re funded by the meat industry) indicate that these kinds of Trans Fats may even provide health benefits.

I’m not buying it 100%, but I’m pretty sure they’re not as bad as industrially produced Trans Fats that are created by taking natural vegetable oil and forcing pressurized hydrogen gas into them.

The main reason Trans Fats became so popular around 20 – 30 years ago is that they increase shelf life drastically. This is the same reason high fructose corn syrup is so popular. Which, by the way, forces me to point to my theory that pretty much anything that increases shelf life will also mess up your metabolism and digestive system once you take it off the shelf and consume it.

Repeated studies have proven artificial Trans Fats to both raise bad cholesterol, lower good cholesterol, increase risk of heart attack and cause a series of other health hazards. The bottom line is this is more like an artificial chemical that should be avoided at all cost.

Next in line is what many health experts consider enemy number 2:

Saturated Fat:

Based on what’s presented in the media, you might put an equal sign between saturated fat and animal fat because it’s a fact that most saturated fat can be found in fatty meat and even more in dairy products. Saturated fat is also found in many vegetables, though, and in high volumes in all kinds of nuts. In fact, a serving of Brazil nuts contains 16% saturated fat (a higher percentage than milk).

Although various government sites claim that Saturated Fats are the main cause of bad cholesterol and heart disease, there are really no reliable studies to back this up. Studies that indicate this connection, like the famous “nurse study” are often based on consumption of dairy and meat products causing negative health effects and the researchers jump to the conclusion to blame saturated fat.

After all, have you ever heard about a study linking Brazil nuts to heart attack? In fact, many studies have indicated that increased consumption of nuts can lower risk of heart attack. That’s despite the saturated fat naturally found in nuts.

But the controversy doesn’t stop there. Lets take a look at the “healthy fats”:

Polyunsaturated Fats:

You’ve most likely heard about the amazing health benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids. This is one type of Polyunsaturated fat that has been shown to improve health, reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol and boost the immune system- among many other benefits.

Although there is very little doubt that Omega 3 is beneficial for you (actually essential since your body can’t produce Omega 3 and 6 on its own like many other types of fats), the main benefit may lie in the balancing effect it makes. You see, for our body to function properly, we need to balance the consumption between Omega 3 and Omega 6.

And whereas the supply of Omega 6 is plentiful from vegetable oils and many other processed foods, Omega 3 in a typical Western diet is scarce. It’s mostly found in fatty fish as well as some nuts and whole, unprocessed flax seed. So before the food industry was so industrialized, we probably consumed Omega 3 and 6 in a pretty balanced way. Now we need to focus on, and even supplement, Omega 3 to make the right balance.

This is just another example of how important it is to reduce the consumption of highly processed foods.

Vegetable oil high in polyunsaturated fat (especially cold-pressed and unrefined) is therefore not bad for you even if it contains more Omega 6 than 3. But because it’s used in so many different types of highly processed foods and consumed in such a high quantity, it will create an imbalance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 consumption and therefore you need to look out for these kinds of fats.

Which brings us to the last type of fat:

Monounsaturated Fat:

This is probably one of the healthiest types of fats when eaten in moderation and contained from natural, especially vegetarian, sources. It has been shown to improve cholesterol and heart health.

You can find Monounsaturated fat in many nuts, red meat, whole milk, olives and avocados. Oils made from these sources are also high in in Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil (75%) and cashew oil (58%). Animal fat is about 50% Monounsaturated fat. Sesame oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil also all include high levels of Monounsaturated Fat.

This is the fat most people agree on as the best primary source of fat for your body.

But Not All Is As It Seems

As the controversy around different types of fats, specifically, which one is healthy and which one is deadly… and even if fat consumption is bad altogether…there is still one more issue that needs to be addressed.

If you’re going to really focus on reducing one type of fat and increasing another, you’ll quickly realize that almost any source of one fat will also include another.

Cod oil, for example, one of the greatest sources of Omega 3, also includes 25% saturated fat. Flax seed oil almost 20%. Beef fat is high in Monounsaturated Fat but also includes Trans Fat.

The key again is balance. Eating a balanced whole food diet and avoiding highly processed and fried food will most likely result in getting all the good fats you need without suffering much of the negative effects.

I finally want to remind you that ALL fats include the same amount of calories. And calorie counts from fat are double that of protein and carbohydrates per gram. So overeating on fatty food is one of the quickest ways to go overboard with daily calories. It doesn’t matter if it’s the fatty part of the beef or having a glass of olive oil (plus it might make you gag). Aiming to lose weight? Check out our Weight Loss Breeze Program

Recent studies have also shown that fat gathering in the pancreas is what is believed to be causing insulin resistance and is therefore one of the underlying causes for type two diabetes. Jodi Knapp has a wonderful type 2 diabetes guide tackling this and other type 2 diabetes issues.

You may also have read this article with the goal of lowering cholesterol. After all, fats and blood cholesterol levels are closely connected issues. For more info on lowering cholesterol levels naturally, check out my all natural Cholesterol Guide.

Finally, this is all connected to high blood pressure. We’ve been talking at length about nutrition but Christian Goodman has developed very unique program to lower blood pressure that has nothing to do with nutrition. Check out his high blood pressure program here.

But first, before doing anything else, take your stand by leaving your comment below. What are your thoughts on fats? Are they all good, all bad, just propaganda from the industries? What do you think?