Good Fats and Bad Fats By Armand Tanny
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 Fat's where it's at, and I don't mean in the frying pan. Forget those solid slabs of lard and go for the bottle. Liquid fat, such as pure virgin olive oil, is the way to a healthy heart and muscular body.
Americans love fat. Not to look at, of course. To eat! Those juicy hamburgers, that pizza, the fettuccine, the ice cream! We celebrate those fatty foods. It seems the richer they are in fat, the more we want'em.
As information from research pours forth, Americans are fighting to control their fat intake. We are told we eat 2,5 times more fat than we should. There are both unsaturated "good" fats and saturated "bad" fats. Too much of either will bulk you up. Together, in the right proportions, they are good. And both are necessary.
The bad fats by themselves are obvious culprits. The fat found in food products from land animals is the stuff strongly implicated in heart disease that kills one out of five American men and causes cancer of the colon and prostate, the next biggest killers.
An excess of saturated fat does the damage. What makes it difficult to control is that all the necessary protein-rich foods we love to eat are high in saturated fats: red meat, eggs and dairy products - all of animal origin. Complicating the problem further is the fact that the haute cuisine that so entices us is based on these products.
That's the bad news. The good news is that the fats known as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats can help prevent and undo the damage caused by the saturated fats. They can lower blood pressure and serum cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The good fats are found in fish, most vegetable oils, seeds and nuts. They can neutralize and displace the effects of the satiated fats by dearing the blood of cholesterol and preventing clotting, which can cause stroke and heart attack.
The most easily absorbed monounsaturated fat that has become one of the most widely used oils in the United States is "extra virgin olive oil." Research has shown that monounsaturated fat is as effective as its near relative, polyunsaturated fat, in lowering blood cholesterol. A recent study published in The New England journal of Medicine indicated that olive oil is the most easily absorbed monounsaturated fat and has the same amount of calories as other oils. On the Greek island of Crete, where the consumption of olive oil is one of the highest in the world, the mortality rate from cardiovascular disease is one of the world's lowest.
As a general rule, saturated fats tend to be solid or semisolid at room temperatures (meat fat, lard, butter), and unsaturated fats such as vegetable oils tend to be liquid. According to the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, our diets should consist of equal amounts of "good fats" and "bad fats." Polyunsaturates can block the bad effects of the saturates only if they are together in equal amounts. But if you are eating 2,5 times as much fat as you should, that does not mean a radical increase of polyunsaturates will neutralize all the bad fat. Fat with any adjective is still fat, and we should try to cut back on it as much as possible.
Lately, fish oils have become the protective superstars. Fish, particularly the cold-water type, contains large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids known as the omega-3s. Omega-3s lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels, slow down the dangerous clotting process that can lead to heart attacks and strokes, and reduce triglycerides, a blood fat as dangerous as cholesterol. Fish oils can reduce triglycerides by 33%, much mare than any other polyunsaturated oil. This means an important lessening of coronary disease.
Studies suggest that even 1-2 servings of fish per week can substantially reduce the risk of heart attack. A 20 year study in the Netherlands showed that men who ate a certain amount of fish every day had only half the incidence of heart disease of men who ate no fish at all. Among the fish highest in the omega-3s are salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout and bass. All fish contain certain amounts of omega-3s.
To get more of the good fats and less of the bad, start by reducing fat intake in general. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole-grain products. Instead of butter, use liquid vegetable oils - soybean, corn, sesame, safflower or sunflower - for cooking. Use nonfat or low-fat dairy products. Read the labels on everything you buy. If they say "hydrogenated" anything, avoid that product. Hydrogenated food contains saturated fat. Beware of foods such as packaged cookies and crackers that contain coconut or palm-kernel oil, both high in saturated fat.
A healthy meal for your heart? Pounce on a thick steamed or broiled fish laced with a Mediterranean sauce of garlic, olives, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, accompanied by a fresh green salad drizzled with olive oil, tarragon vinegar and herbs. Forget those park chops. Remember your heart.
Source: Muscle & Fitness Magazine
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