A question of choice: good and bad fats

In view of this fact, there is only one solution: reduce our dietary intake of fats. But caution must be exercised – it can’t be done any way you like.

Contrary to popular belief, fats do not play an exclusively negative role. In fact, they are even essential to the proper working of our bodies. Fats are an unlimited source of energy (as opposed to sugars) that protect several vital organs. They also take part in tissue formation, central nervous system development, coagulation mechanisms, thermoregulation, and the storage and use of fat-soluble vitamins.
Therefore, choosing the good fats and reducing your consumption of the not-so-good ones is everything!

 

Saturated fatty acids, such as cholesterol and particularly the LDLs (lipoproteins which transport the cholesterol present in food and in the metabolism) are responsible for cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis by causing an accumulation of fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries, and if these deposits are large, the arteries are blocked.
Where are they found?
Basically in foods of animal origin such as meats, butter, whole milk, cheeses and eggs.

History shows that the harmful effects of cholesterol are far from being a recent discovery. They had already been highlighted in the 19th century by the military doctor Nicolaï Anitshkov, who noticed a higher rate of cardiovascular diseases among officers than among common soldiers… due to their higher consumption of meat.
In industrialized countries, 8 out of 10 adults' cholesterol level is too high. And only 1/3 of these people are aware of it.
For sure, bad eating habits are one explanation, but quite obviously other factors should be taken into consideration:
-age (the risks increase with age)
-sex (the risks are three times greater in men than in women)
-blood pressure (140/90),
-smoking (smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day increases the level of LDLs and reduces the level of good cholesterol, i.e. HDLs),
-genes,
-severe obesity.

It is not rare to note that a patient who is not overweight and has a healthy lifestyle can also have high cholesterol, for example due to excessive production of cholesterol by the liver or insufficient breakdown of cholesterol.
In conclusion: the risks of an excess of bad cholesterol increase after 35 years of age, therefore it is recommended to have an annual checkup (blood test with results the following day). Total cholesterol levels must be no higher than 190mg/dl of blood with an LDL/HDL ratio < 3.5.

Though saturated fatty acids and cholesterol must be restricted, transfatty acids also need to be controlled. These bad fats are found in certain margarines, processed foods, fried foods and snacks. These foods contain solid vegetable fats made from hydrogenated oils. They inhibit the action of the omega-3s and are a cause of cancer. In other words, their consumption should be avoided at all costs.

 

Where are they found? For the most part, in fish or in foods of vegetable origin.
Among these PUFAs, the essential fatty acid omega-3, termed ‘essential’ because it cannot be produced in the body, should imperatively be included in the diet. It is found in cold-sea fish and shellfish, nuts, purslane (a type of Mediterranean watercress), green vegetables, linseed oil and rapeseed oil.
It plays many roles, protecting us against cardiovascular diseases by reducing the risks of heart attacks, thrombosis, arrhythmia (by reducing arterial pressure by acting on blood cholesterol), improves our emotional balance (by promoting the transmission of neurotransmitters), forms the framework of organic cells, and reduces inflammatory and allergic reactions.