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Important Fatty Foods For Your Health

Paisley Hansen
Contrary to popular belief, not all fats are bad for you. Fats can be broken down into two categories, saturated and unsaturated fats, that are essentially separated by whether or not they contain complete carbon double bonds. Unsaturated fats are generally better and provide a lot of health benefits. Here are the reasons why fats are good for you.

Olive Oil

The label "extra virgin" means that it is unrefined and not processed by a machine, so it retains the most nutritional elements making it the best olive oil for health benefits. This type of oil is high in mono-unsaturated fat. The American Heart Association says that this kind of fat lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering bad cholesterol.

Omega 3s

Omega 3s, such as EPA and DHA, are a specific kind of fatty acid that are most commonly found in fish. They can lower triglyceride levels in your blood that in turn lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke. These fatty acids can help to treat joint pain and arthritis and boost the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs. They an also reduce asthma.

Avocado

Avocados are a fruit that is classified as a superfood, meaning that they contain more health benefits than average food sources. For starters, they contain more protein than any other fruit. They are rich in mono-unsaturated fats, which are effective at raising good cholesterol while lowering bad cholesterol.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate contains oleic acid, a type of mono-unsaturated fat also found in olive oil, that is proven to improve heart health. It is also rich in antioxidants, whose most important function is to protect your cells and DNA from the damage that comes from free radicals (unpaired electrons from oxygen molecules) and oxidative stress.

Nuts and Seeds

Various types of nuts and seeds are great sources of both omega 3 fatty acids and mono-unsaturated fats. They also contain fiber, antioxidants and a bunch of vitamins such as multiple types of B and E. This wide range of health benefits means that they are helpful for managing lots of different risks, such as: heart disease, high blood pressure and more.

Conclusion

It's important to include types of fats into your diet because they provide benefits to your body that you can't get anywhere else. Unsaturated fats are almost always a safe bet, although saturated fats can be okay for you in moderation. It comes down to the fact that your body needs fat to function, so you should choose your sources of fat carefully.