Fat also often benefifs Nutritional benefits of fats venefits in the form of creamy, cheesy, or buttery sauces or dressings. Show Your Heart Some Love! Page last reviewed: 14 April Next review due: 14 April Learn to read between the lines on Nutrition Facts labels.

Nutritional benefits of fats -

Balance your portions and choices to emphasize a healthy overall way of eating. Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisors.

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Does my body need fats? How many different kinds of fats are there? There are four major dietary fats in food: Saturated fats Trans fats Monounsaturated fats Polyunsaturated fats The four types have different chemical structures and physical properties.

Do all fats have the same number of calories? Are all foods labeled "trans fat-free" healthy foods? Can fats be part of a healthy diet? Does eating healthier mean giving up my favorite foods? First Name required. Last Name required. Email required. Zip Code required. I agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

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As part of a healthy diet, you should try to cut down on foods and drinks that are high in saturated fats and trans fats and replace some of them with unsaturated fats.

Most of them come from animal sources, including meat and dairy products, as well as some plant foods, such as palm oil and coconut oil.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that's mostly made by the body in the liver. Eating too much saturated fats in your diet can raise "bad" LDL cholesterol in your blood , which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Trans fats are found naturally at low levels in some foods, such as meat and dairy products. They can also be found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Hydrogenated vegetable oil must be declared on a food's ingredients list if it's been included.

Like saturated fats, trans fats can raise cholesterol levels in the blood. Most of the supermarkets in the UK have removed partially hydrogenated vegetable oil from all their own-brand products. People in the UK tend to eat a lot more saturated fats than trans fats.

This means that when you're looking at the amount of fat in your diet, it's more important to focus on reducing the amount of saturated fats. If you want to reduce your risk of heart disease, it's best to reduce your overall fat intake and swap saturated fats for unsaturated fats.

There's good evidence that replacing saturated fats with some unsaturated fats can help to lower your cholesterol level. Mostly found in oils from plants and fish, unsaturated fats can be either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Monounsaturated fats help protect your heart by maintaining levels of "good" HDL cholesterol while reducing levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol in your blood.

Polyunsaturated fats can also help lower the level of "bad" LDL cholesterol in your blood. Some types of omega-3 and omega-6 fats cannot be made by your body, which means it's essential to include small amounts of them in your diet.

Most people get enough omega-6 in their diet, but it's recommended to have more omega-3 by eating at least 2 portions of fish each week, with 1 portion being an oily fish.

Sources of omega-3 fatty acids suitable for vegetarians include flaxseed linseed oil, rapeseed oil, walnuts and egg enriched with omega Find out more about healthy eating as a vegetarian.

The nutrition labels on food packaging can help you cut down on total fat and saturated fat also listed as "saturates", or "sat fat". Nutrition information can be presented in different ways on the front and back of packaging.

You need Nutirtional small amount of fat in your diet Nitritional healthy functioning. Nutritilnal and Nutritional benefits of fats supply Nutritional benefits of fats and essential fats and help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K. The type of fat is just as important for health as the total amount of fat consumed. That's why it's important to choose healthier unsaturated fats. Eating too much and the wrong kinds of fats, such as saturated and trans fats, may raise unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy HDL cholesterol.