Want a Healthier Heart and Brain? Make Sure You Eat Enough of This ‘Fat’!

Understand unsaturated fats, saturated fats and trans fats, with practical food choices for getting enough omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Here is the short answer: the fats in question are unsaturated fatty acids, often called ‘good fats’.

Many people have heard that eating less ‘bad fat’ and more ‘good fat’ in everyday life can better support cardiovascular health. Today, we will look at how to do this.

What Are ‘Good Fats’: Unsaturated Fatty Acids?

The ‘fat’ we commonly refer to mainly means triglycerides. According to their fatty-acid structure, fats can be divided into saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids.

Unsaturated fatty acids can be further divided into two main groups: omega-3 and omega-6.

What Are ‘Bad Fats’ and Why Should You Limit Them?

First, it is important to clarify that ‘bad fats’ is not a strict nutrition-science term. It is a plain-language expression that usually refers to saturated fats and trans fats.

Limiting them is recommended because long-term, high intake may affect blood-lipid levels.