Sources and Benefits of Healthy Fats

Foods with High Levels of Good Fat Reduce Risk of Illness

Mar 8, 2009

Because of their health benefits, good fats are essential to a healthy diet. Besides fish, there are many excellent food sources of healthy fats.

Dietary fat is an essential nutrient needed by the body for energy, healthy skin, vitamin absorption, and everyday bodily functions. Good fats have been shown to have many health benefits including reducing the risk of developing heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and depression.

Types of Good Fats

The healthiest fats come mainly from plants and fish. Types of healthy fats include:

Sources of Healthy Fats

The most well-known source of healthy fats is fish, but there are a variety of foods that contain high levels of good fats. Some of the best sources of good fats include:

Almonds: Packed with monounsaturated fat, eating almonds may help lower bad cholesterol levels and triglycerides while increasing good cholesterol levels.

Avocados: Another excellent source of monounsaturated fat, avocados can help lower bad cholesterol and increase the absorption of certain carotenoids, which help lower the risk of heart disease and macular degeneration.

Flaxseed: Known for being an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed is also a good source of lignan, a phytoestrogen which may help fight some types of breast cancer.

Olives and olive oil: Both excellent sources of monounsaturated fat, olives and olive oil also contain polyphenols, which can help prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer, and can help reduce inflammation that leads to chronic illnesses.

Peanuts and peanut butter: Eating at least 5 ounces of nuts per week reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 35 percent. Studies also show that those who eat peanuts regularly have a lower body mass index and lower cholesterol levels than those who do not eat peanuts.

Sunflower seeds: While an excellent source of linoleic acid, which has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease in women by 23 percent, sunflower seeds have also been shown to help lower high blood pressure.

Walnuts: With the highest levels of omega-3 fats of any nut, eating walnuts may protect against inflammation, heart disease, arthritis, and can improve cognitive function.

Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and omega-3s provide many health benefits, but as with any type of dietary fat, good fats should be eaten in moderation since eating too much fat in any form provides excess calories in the diet.

Barker, D. & Quaglio, L. (Eds.). (2007.) Healthy Woman 2007. New York: Rodale, Inc.

The copyright of the article Sources and Benefits of Healthy Fats in Proteins/Carb/Fats is owned by Jennifer Murray. Permission to republish Sources and Benefits of Healthy Fats in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.