BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Nutrition Good Fats Bad Fats

We want to eat fat but we don't want to wear it. Here's the skinny on which fat is friend or foe. Good Fats Bad Fats Fat Chat

Thanks so much for the great article, Moss. You took a complicated subject and distilled it very well. I take omega3 capsules and also try and eat walnuts, avocados, etc. I think they really help make my skin look better.

It would be interesting if you can compare your food habits regarding the two types of fats and your body's fat percentage and then post the conclusions here.

I have a special weighing scale which shows me the fat percent but if you don't have such a device you can use something online like the online body fat calculator from here. Just wait to see your conclusions.

quote from the article: "And certain good fats can even help you lose weight." that's definitely not my case . Maybe the quantities should be muuuuuch smaller.




and a small update for the brave ones who dare to know their fat ratio. Seems that if you are above 40 then the conclusions the above calculator outputs should be correlated with the age depending ideal body fat values shown here, otherwise it's likely to be unfairly labeled as 'obese' although it is not the case.

Actually, I can attest to certain "fats" (if that's how you want to look at it) aiding in weight loss. Eating tuna for lunch every day helped me get over my plateau, and I was able to go from 127 lbs. to 119 lbs. fairly quickly, though I'm sure it wasn't the tuna alone (working out 90 minutes 5 days a week, salad for dinner and racquetball helped, too).

I never considered the fatty acids in tuna; I just started eating it because I knew it was really healthy, and it was so easy to pop a can of it at work. I used to throw mayonnaise and sweet relish in it to make a quick tuna salad, but I knew the mayo was killing any healthy change I was trying to make. I noticed one of my coworkers just throw in the sweet relish with some salt and pepper (without the mayo) and tried it -- it's great!

I think a good rule of thumb, with fats and anything else, is "moderation." Small portions, and don't eat after 7 p.m.

Tuna is a good lean protein too! I'm a little wary of eating too much of it tho these days as I've read there is mercury in it.

I get packaged salmon now that it's available and use it on salads at lunch or even on wheat crackers. It also has the healthy fats in it.

I think there's mercury in everything - the old style lights we used to use (or I suppose that some people still use) actively emitted mercury from them

I agree you shouldn't drink mercury down raw! But I do eat tuna ...

I read somewhere that eating heated oils and fats has been linked to inflammation. We are supposed to eat fats from raw plant sources.

IF this is true then what would be the difference betwen baked fish and fried fish?

Can you buy fish oil supplements that haven't been heated?

I think the main problem with heated fats comes when they overheat and get burned, then their chemical structure changes into carcinogens. (Think of seared meat on the grill) That's one good reason for cooking with vegetable oils that have a high burning point such as olive oil.