Understand your fats and fiber

According to the website that was given to us on American Heart Association, under the meet the fats section, there are four different types of fats, two good fats and two bads.  The bad fats are saturated and trans.  Saturated fats has a chemical that is made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms, which are typically solid at a room temperature.  Trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.  Another name for trans fats is “partially hydrogenated oils”.  Trans fats are harmful because they raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels.  Many trans fats will increase high risks of heart disease and stroke.  Saturated and trans fats are in foods like hamburgers with cheese and bacon, steaks with baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, bacon bits, and cheese, also in desserts such as cheesecake. 

The good fats are mon (monounsaturated) and poly (polyunsaturated).  Mon and poly are good fats.  Unsaturated fats are simply fats that have one double bonded carbon in the molecule.  Monounsaturated fats rae typically at room temperature but will firm up when chilled.  Vegetable and olive oil are examples of this process.

Fiber is roughage you get from fruits and vegetables, whole wheat, and grains, which help to clean out fat and cholesterol from the blood stream and keep the digestive system of preventing constipation.  Lipids help clean out the blood of bad cholesterol. 

Food sources of the dietary fiber can be found in lettuce, Swiss chard, raw carrots, tender cooked vegetables, such as asparagus, beets, mushrooms, turnips, and pumpkin.  They can also be found in broccoli, artichokes, squashes, sweet potatoes, string beans and vegetable juices.  You can be able to get more fiber from legumes, such as lentils, black beans, split peas, kidney and lima beans, and chick peas.  They are also in sunflower seeds, almonds, pistachios nuts, and pecans.  Another good source of fiber is fruits and grains, such as whole wheat products in flowers.

The differences between soluble and insoluble fibers are that soluble fiber draws water and turns into gel during digestion, and it slows the digestion as well.  This type of fiber can be found in oat bran, barley, nuts seeds, beans, lentils, peas and some in fruits and vegetables.  This fiber can help to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease.  Insoluble fiber, which is found in foods, such as wheat bran, vegetables, and whole grains, can add bulk to the stool helping food pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines.

The benefits of a high fiber diet are energy, faster and smoother bowel movements, avoiding constipation and other digestive issues.  This cleanses the blood by removing bad cholesterol, preventing heart disease and stroke.