Pass the "good" fat!

Let's get straight to the point - not all fats are created equal. As a matter of fat (er, um, fact), one of the best ways to lower your cholesterol is to actually include more "good fats" in your diet! Why is this and what exactly are good fats? I'm so glad you asked…

Commonly known as "good fats," unsaturated fats come in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated varieties. These can improve the health of your heart if planned into you’re your daily diet. More on those in a minute. The fats you actually want to reduce or eliminate from your diet are the saturated fats. These are the ones that cause a buildup of cholesterol in your artery walls and can lead to heart disease. Simply put, saturated fats are the ones that are by nature solid at room temperature, or fats that have undergone chemical processes to become more saturated-like. I am referring here to "trans" and "hydrogenated" fats, and these are the ones found in processed and store bought foods such as snack items, pastries and deep fried foods. Other saturated fats include the fat found in animal meats, butter, cheese, lard, and tropical oils such as coconut, palm and palm kernel oil.

Onto the good stuff! Studies have shown that unsaturated fats can actually reduce cholesterol levels by helping to strip away cholesterol from your arteries! Unsaturated fats (poly and mono) are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil or canola oil, and also found in a variety of healthful foods. So while the recommended intake of dietary fat is still less than 30% of total calories, do your heart a favor and choose the good fats! These can be found in foods such as avocadoes, olives, nuts, seeds, fatty fish (such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, or swordfish), flax seed and oils such as olive, canola and safflower. Do your part to help lower cholesterol and your risk of heart disease. Eat your way to good health!