Facts about monounsaturated fats

Monounsaturated fat is a type of dietary fat . It is one of the healthy fats, along with polyunsaturated fat . Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, but start to harden when chilled.

Saturated fats and trans fats are solid at room temperature. These unhealthy fats can increase your risk for heart disease and other health problems.

Monounsaturated fats are found in plant foods, such as nuts, avocados, and vegetable oils. Eating moderate amounts of monounsaturated (and polyunsaturated) fats in place of saturated and trans fats can benefit your health.

How Monounsaturated Fats Affect Your Health

Monounsaturated fats are good for your health in several ways:

• They can help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol level. Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance that can cause clogged, or blocked, arteries (blood vessels). Keeping your LDL level low reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.

  Cholesterol

  Hyperlipidemia - cholesterol and lifestyle; CAD - cholesterol and lifestyle; Coronary artery disease - cholesterol and lifestyle; Heart disease - cho...

   

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• Eaten in place of unhealthy fats, these fats may help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar.
• Monounsaturated fats help develop and maintain your cells. The fat is also high in vitamin E , necessary for healthy vision, a healthy immune system, and other benefits.

  Vitamin E

  Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin.

   

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How Much you can eat

Your body needs some fats for energy and other functions. Monounsaturated fats are a healthy choice.

How much should you get every day? Here are recommendations from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

• You should get no more than 25% to 30% of your daily calories from fats. Make sure most of those fats are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated.
• You should limit saturated fat to less than 10% of your daily calories.
• To further reduce your heart disease risk, limit saturated fats to less than 7% of your total daily calories.
• For a 2,000 calorie diet, that is 140 to 200 calories or 16 to 22 grams of saturated fats a day.

Eating healthier fats is good for your health. But eating too much fat can lead to weight gain. All fats contain 9 calories per gram of fat. This is more than twice the amount found in carbohydrates and protein .

It is not enough to add foods high in unsaturated fats to a diet filled with unhealthy foods and fats. Instead, replace saturated or trans fats with healthier fats.

Reading Nutrition Labels

All packaged foods have a nutrition label that includes fat content. Reading food labels can help you keep track of how much fat you eat.

• Check the total fat in one serving. Be sure to add up the number of servings you will eat in one sitting.
• Look closely at the amount of saturated fat and trans fat in a serving. The rest is unsaturated fat. Some labels will list the monounsaturated fat content, some will not.
• Make sure most of your daily fats are from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources.
• Many fast food restaurants also provide nutrition information on their menus. If you DO NOT see it posted, ask your server. You also may be able to find it on the restaurant's website.

Making Healthy Food Choices

Most foods have a combination of all types of fats. Some have higher amounts of healthy fats than others. Foods and oils with higher amounts of monounsaturated fats include:

• Nuts
• Avocado
• Canola oil
• Olive oil
• Safflower oil (high oleic)
• Sunflower oil
• Peanut oil and butter
• Sesame oil

To get the health benefits, you need to replace unhealthy fats with healthy fats . Here are some ideas:

• Eat nuts instead of cookies for a snack. Just be sure to keep your portion small, as nuts are high in calories
• Add avocado to salads and sandwiches.
• Replace butter and solid fats with olive or canola oil.