Understanding Healthy and Unhealthy Fats to Control Cholesterol: Tips from a Cardiologist

2023-12-23 16:48:00

There is no doubt that some fats are responsible for raising cholesterol levels and leading to the risk of heart disease. As the holiday season begins, a cardiologist offers some tips for distinguishing between healthy fats and unhealthy fats.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the blood. The body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, and good cholesterol is necessary to maintain a healthy body. While bad cholesterol must be controlled, which is considered harmful and its high level leads to cardiovascular diseases, especially myocardial infarction.

High cholesterol is partly responsible for the occurrence of atherosclerosis, which causes the formation of fatty plaques in the blood. Therefore, clogged arteries are considered the main cause of cardiovascular diseases in the world.

On the other hand, nutrition is a major solution to controlling cholesterol by reducing the consumption of fats, especially animal fats, according to what was published on the website. Topsante.

In this regard, cardiologist Dr. Regis Fernandez helps identify the fats that are often responsible for high bad cholesterol, without abandoning all fats, as some of them are healthy and help with nutritional balance.

Saturated fat = bad cholesterol

Fernandes explains that saturated fats are a type of fat that solidifies at room temperature, for example coconut oil and palm oil. In addition to fried foods and animal fats such as red meat, cheese, and cold cuts…

Eating saturated fats is linked to blood cholesterol levels. The more saturated fats are consumed, the higher the level of cholesterol in the blood.

On the other hand, there are unsaturated fats that are considered healthy, such as polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats.

Accordingly, the cardiologist confirms that these two types of fats are considered healthy fats that do not raise the level of bad cholesterol in the blood.

We find these healthy fats in olive oil, avocado oil, soybean oil and vegetable oil.

Tips to avoid saturated fats

The cardiologist provides nutritional advice to avoid eating bad saturated fats, the most important of which are:

1- Replace butter with oil, for example, using olive oil to brown food instead of butter, and using canola oil when cooking.

2- Eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, instead of eating meat twice a week.

3- If you are accustomed to eating meat several times a week, choose lean meat such as poultry (skinless, which is considered a source of fat), and therefore it is recommended to remove the fat and skin from poultry.

4- Limit the intake of processed foods, which often contain saturated fats. On the other hand, focus on whole fruits and vegetables when you feel hungry.

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