Fats

Confusion and myths abound when it comes to fat. The word itself represents three entirely different things -- the soft stuff that accumulates around your middle section (body fat), the substances that can clog up the works in our arteries (blood fats or cholesterol), and the component of our food that we eat and also use for cooking (dietary fat). Over the years, dietary fat has gone in and out of fashion. For a long time, conventional wisdom was that fat makes you fat. Today, we have a better understanding, and we know that moderate amounts of natural fats -- the ones that exist in plant and animal foods -- are healthy and even necessary in a nutritionally complete and satisfying diet. We also know that the manufactured, hydrogenated oils (known as trans fats), found in everything from crackers and cakes to frozen fish entrees, are not good for you and have no place in a healthy diet. Learn more here.

Reviewed by Susan Weiner, RD, MS, CDE, CDN. 05/12