Inherent Nutrition

What are unsaturated fats?

Unsaturated fats contain one or more hydrogen gaps in its short carbon chain. Unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated fats because they contain acids that lower the “bad” (LDL) cholesterol and raise the “good” (HDL) cholesterol in your bloodstream. Unsaturated fats are classified as either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated:

• Monounsaturated fats have one hydrogen gap per chain. This fat is called the oleic acid and contains one hydrogen gap after the ninth carbon in its chain (omega-9). Our bodies can synthesize (or produce by combining different food particles) oleic acids, and so it is not an essential fatty acid. Monounsaturated fats can be found in oils such as vegetable, olive, and peanut oil.

• Polyunsaturated fats contain two or more hydrogen gaps per chain. They also contain essential fatty acids, where monosaturated fats do not. Polyunsaturated fats can be found in nuts, seeds, fish, and greens, and in oils such as canola, safflower, sunflower, sesame, soybean, and corn oil.