Hi.

It's often said that foods such as nuts, fish, avocados, etc. are "good" fats. What exactly is a "good" fat? Does your body process a "good" fat differently than a "bad" fat?

For example, I ate a small package of cashew nuts which contained 14 grams of fat. Is that better to eat than cheese (for example) containing the same amount of fat?

I had read somewhere that some foods contain "good" fats which actually eliminate the "bad" fats.

Also, I thought I read that ALL fats are directly stored as fat in your body (exception being zero carb diets like Atkins)....is this true?

Basically, I really like nuts, but I would rather abstain from them if the fat in those nuts is handled the same as any other kind of fat.

My diet currently is only about 10-15% fat...and like I said, I would like to eat some more "good" fats, if indeed those do exist.

Thanks.

Fat is an essential nutrient to the body. Fat is not directly stored as fat, fact is, all carbohydrates not used for energy re stored as body fat. So a sedentary person eating a diet high in carbohydrates easily puts on the fat. Do a search on the Skinny on Fats or the Weston Price Foundation and you will find some very informative reading. Bad fats are hydrogenated oils, just read the labels on the food you purchase, they cannot properly be metabolized my the body.

Thanks.

I will do some Internet research on the topic.

The bad fats are the hydrogenated and partially-hydorgenated. These are oils which are modified with hydrogen to give it a thicker texture (such as margerine)and a longer life before going rancid.

These 'fake fats' are prefered by food processors because they are cheap and can stay on the shelf much longer. The bad news is they have been blamed for heart disease and cancer.

Good fats come from sources like eggs, butter, walnuts, cold-water fish, etc. Fish and eggs supply Omega-3 fats which the body can't create on it's own.
They lower triglycerides and help protect the heart.
In my experience, adding small quantities of eggs, dark chocolate and nuts lowered my triglycerides and raised my HDL - the protective cholesterol.

In the past several years, vegetable oil has become the popular substitue because it's low/no saturated fat. This may have caused us to consume too much Omega-6 causing an imbalance in dietary fat. Not a good thing!

Please tell me if I am right about this...

Will the fat in the nuts be used for energy just like a carbohydrate or protein? According to one site, "A calorie derived from fat is stored as fat more easily than from protein or carbohydrate (1,2). A rather disadvantageous property of fat is that it is quickly and easily absorbed by the body and most goes directly to your waistline".

According to that site, all fat is directly deposited as fat on your body.

Justin

Don't believe that's correct for two reasons.

1- The human body is actually very efficient in how it uses energy [food]. It would be extremely inefficient to first store food and then to bring it out of storage and metabolize it.

2- The body releases lipase [and other digestive enzymes] almost every time the body consumes any food. Lipase's sole function is to break down fats - usually while still in the digestive tract. So again, this suggests that the body has a preference for using immediately accessible fats.

If you're interested in the bio/chem involved, visit this link:
http://www.blc.arizona.edu/courses/181gh/SCHEDULES/exam1.html