These foods have many ingredients and go through complex changes in a factory so the food doesn’t look like its original source. Emerging evidence suggests that saturated fats might affect your health differently depending on the food source of the saturated fat. Canada’s Food Guide recommends a shift towards more plant-based foods to help reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat.īut highly and ultra-processed foods are a major source of saturated fats in the Canadian diet. LDL cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Saturated fat can raise bad (LDL) cholesterol. Omega-6 is found in safflower, sunflower and corn oils, non-hydrogenated margarine and nuts such as almonds, pecans, brazil nuts and sunflower seeds. It helps lower LDL cholesterol, but in large amounts it's thought to also lower the good HDL cholesterol.

cold-water fish (mackerel, sardines, herring, rainbow trout and salmon)Īnother type of polyunsaturated fat is omega-6.One type is omega-3, which can help prevent clotting of blood, reducing the risk of stroke and also helps lower triglycerides, a type of blood fat linked to heart disease. Polyunsaturated fats can lower bad cholesterol levels (LDL cholesterol). some nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews, pecans and hazelnuts).Monounsaturated fats have been shown to improve blood cholesterol levels. This imbalance can increase your risk of high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries ( atherosclerosis), heart attack and stroke. 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. That's why it's important to choose healthier unsaturated fats. The type of fat is just as important for health as the total amount of fat consumed. Oils and fats supply calories and essential fats and help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K. You need a small amount of fat in your diet for healthy functioning.

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