There are basically three types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Generally, saturated fats are harmful and contribute to high blood cholesterol levels, making you more prone to heart disease and they also interfere with insulin function. On the other hand, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats contain healthy essential fatty acids (EFA) such as Omega-3 and Omega-6 and tend to lower blood cholesterol levels. Unsaturated fats improve the body’s insulin function, counteract some of the negative effects of saturated fats, increases energy and helps you lose body fat.

-Saturated Fat. Not only are they very harmful, they do not have the essential fatty acids the body needs. Saturated fats are primarily animal fats and tend to be solid at room temperatures. Examples of saturated fats are butter, cheese, chocolate, egg yolk, meat fat, dairy fat and shortening.

-Unsaturated Fats. These type of fats are healthy and generally lowers cholesterol levels; there are two sub-groupings as follows:

• Polyunsaturated. Includes include oil from fish, walnuts, pecans, almonds, flax, soybean, sunflower and safflower.
• Monounsaturated. Includes oil from avocado, cashew, peanut, pecan and olive.
The body does not manufacture essential fatty acids (EFA) contained in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The EFA’s are Omega-6 – (Linoleic Acid or LA) and Omega-3 – (Alpha Linolenic Acid or LNA).

Very low levels of fat intake therefore results in deficiencies of healthy fats characterized by the symptoms such as dry and flaky skin.

It is therefore an absolute necessity to have at least 12 to 15% fats of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated varieties as part of your diet to induce fat-reduction and stimulate muscle build up.

The most effective strategy therefore is to stay away from foods that contain saturated fats including dairy products as much as possible avoiding to completely cut off all fat intake. Keeping fat intake to the acceptable minimum levels are most advantageous for a healthy lifestyle.

There are several fat/oil substitutes you can use for cooking or snacks (without adding unnecessary calories to your meal) such as low calorie butter flavored sprays, cooking sprays, fat-free butter spreads and fat-free dressings.