Differences between saturated and unsaturated fats

Surely more than once you have heard that, to lead a healthy life, you have to reduce the consumption of dietary fats. However, when talking about the general term “fat” it always refers to saturated fats, that is, bad fats since there is a type of fat that is necessary for the proper functioning of the body and that helps us to live stronger and healthier. Thus, within the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats, we find that the first of them is a type of fat that is harmful to health while the second is highly recommended to include in the diet.

But this is not the only difference since there is more! Next, in this article we are going to discover them all so that all your doubts about it are cleared up and you can start enjoying a 100% healthy diet.

Unsaturated or good fats

Before we start talking about the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats, it is important that we stop for a moment to understand what each of these terms means. We will start by talking about unsaturated or, also known, as “good fats”.

Foods rich in unsaturated fats contain liquid fats at room temperature and, therefore, this fat is not stored in the body. That is, when we gain weight or are overweight, this occurs because the fat in food has not been eliminated from the body and has remained saturated, for this reason, it is difficult to eliminate unless we follow a low-calorie diet and exercise. .

Unsaturated fats are not stored in the body, that is, they do not remain saturated as they do not contain hydrogen atoms and are presented in liquid form. They are fats that are considered “good” because there are some studies that indicate that they help lower high cholesterol and improve cardiovascular function, thus making our heart stronger and healthier.

Types of unsaturated fats

Unsaturated fats are divided into two different groups, such as the following:

• Monounsaturated fats: it is thicker when it cools and we find it in foods such as olives, olive oil, nuts, avocados, etc.
• Polyunsaturated fats: remains liquid even when cooled. In this group we find foods such as sunflower oil, soybean oil, hazelnut oil or oily fish (sardines, tuna, anchovies, etc.).

In this article you will discover a group of foods rich in good fats that you can include in your diet without any problem. Of course: always taking it in moderation!

What are saturated or bad fats

But on the opposite side of the scale we find saturated fats or also known as “bad” fats. This type of fat is easier to identify than the previous one and is usually found in options such as dairy or red meat.

The main characteristic of this type of fat is that the hydrogen atoms are attached to the carbon atoms and, at room temperature, they are solid fats. They are known as bad fats because they are those that, with a high consumption, end up being stored in our body causing us to be overweight and, consequently, all the problems related to this condition: increase in bad cholesterol in the blood, heart conditions, and problems with blood pressure, obesity, and etc.

Saturated fats, in addition to being found in the products mentioned above, are also found in a wide variety of food products that we currently find in supermarkets, such as sweets, frozen pizzas, cakes, potato chips, and so on. In this article we will show you a list of foods rich in saturated fat.

Main differences between saturated and unsaturated fats

Now that we know better what each of these fats is, let”s get down to business and talk about the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats? We will do it in a schematic way so that the concepts are very clear:

• Saturated fats remain stored in the body causing an increase in our weight. Unsaturated fats, taken in their proper measure, do not remain stored in the body.
• Saturated ones can jeopardize heart health by raising cholesterol and blood pressure. However, unsaturated ones are very beneficial to get our heart and our heart health in general in top shape.
• To enjoy a healthy diet we have to limit the consumption of saturated fat to avoid health complications; however, unsaturated ones can be part of our daily diet.

Trans fats

But within the fats in the diet, there is currently a new group known as Tran’s fats or Tran’s fats. This type would also be part of the “bad” fats and its consumption in our diet should be limited as much as possible.

Tran’s fat is a type of fat that appears during the refining process of food. What happens is that the unsaturated fats in these foods go through a hydrogenation process and become transgenic, a type of element that works in the same way as saturated fats.

These industrial processes are carried out to preserve some foods as well as to improve their external appearance and make them more “appetizing” in the eyes of the consumer. Therefore, Tran’s fats are one of the worst that exist because they are chemically adulterated fats and, therefore, they fill our body with toxins and harmful elements that we do not need at all.

Dangers of Trans fats

They are much more dangerous than saturated ones because, as we have mentioned, they are chemically adulterated fats and this leads to the appearance of a series of consequences such as the following:

• Increases bad cholesterol in the blood and decreases good cholesterol
• Alters heart pressure
• Does not satisfy the appetite
• Contains many calories
• Increases the risk of obesity or overweight

Tran’s fats are found, above all, in industrial products such as potato chips, cookies, prepared meals, and so on. In this article we will tell you in more detail what Tran’s fats are.