by Eva Perry

Created on: August 02, 2007   Last Updated: May 16, 2011

All fats in the body are not the same.The fact is that saturated fats, can raise your LDL, bad cholesterol in your body, while the healthy, unsaturated fats can help to raise the HDL, good cholesterol, making them the heart -healthy fats.

To begin with, saturated fats originate from animal products, and processed food such as snack food and pastries, where unsaturated fats originate from plant products, and include food items such as nuts, olives, sunflower seeds, fish and corn oils.

Unsaturated fats are considered the healthier of the two, if you are watching your cholesterol, since they are considered to be the good fats we can eat. Saturated fats are considered to be unhealthy, since they are linked to heart disease. The main reason for this conclusion is found in the fact that saturated fats could raise the levels of your blood cholesterol to unhealthy levels.

Which foods are high in saturated fats? Meats such as beef, pork, lamb, and the fats associated with beef and poultry. Saturated fats are also present in whole milk products such as butter, milk, cheese, cream, and other dairy products not containing reduced fat. To limit the saturated fats in your dairy products, be sure to choose the 1 % or lower fat content choices available for these products.

If you've seen food product labels stating monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats these are the unsaturated fats.

Which foods contain unsaturated fats? Many of the seafood items, for example, salmon, mackerel, herring, and the plant oils, like olive, peanut, canola, corn and sunflower oils.

Some by products from plant oils also contain saturated fats, such as, cocoa butter, palm oil, and coconut oil.

Beware of the fats and oils that undergo the process of hydrogenation, where hydrogen is added to the product to extend the shelf life. That is why the widespread term of trans fat, is now recognized as an unhealthy contributor to adverse health effects. The problem is that trans fatty oils can raise the blood cholesterol levels, therefore, increasing the risk of heart disease.

To reduce the saturated fats in your diet, choosing a diet rich in nutritional foods such as leafy green vegetables, fruits, whole grains and cereals, fish and seafood, along with lean meats, can help promote a healthy lifestyle.

Most of your food should come from unsaturated fats, to avoid the harmful effects that some of the saturated trans fat foods contain. Your total fat intake should remain relatively low compared to the whole percentage of caloric intake. The higher your intake of saturated fats are in your diet, can potentially increase the LDL cholesterol and lower the HDL, or good cholesterol levels in your blood. This can lead to an increased risk for developing heart related diseases.

Following a diet limiting the amount of saturated foods and incorporating more healthy unsaturated fats, should lead you to a healthy regimen of meal plans, and a decreased risk for heart disease, which is the number one cause of death for both men and women, today.  Incorporating this healthy diet, along with exercise, can help you maintain a healthy life.

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