Although many foods contain unhealthy saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, a number of foods contain fats that are good for you. Consuming foods that contain healthy fats is best since fat is a necessary part of a healthy diet, but since fat is high in calories, you may want to limit the amount of fat you take in. The following list of foods supplies you with beneficial fats like monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. Both of these types of fat are helpful in the prevention of heart disease, or a stroke. For better health, eat more of the foods listed below and decrease your intake of foods containing unhealthy fats that can lead to health problems in the future.
Healthy Fats #1: Olive Oil
One tablespoon of olive oil supplies your body with almost 10 grams of monounsaturated fat. The amount of polyunsaturated fat in a tablespoon of olive oil is almost 1.50 grams. Since olive oil contains 119 calories per tablespoon, you may want to use it sparingly. To include olive oil in your diet, drizzle it on a salad, or briefly sauté vegetables in this healthy oil.
Healthy Fats #2: Macadamia Nuts and Almonds
Raw macadamia nuts have a high monounsaturated fat content. The delicious macadamia nut possesses over 16.50 grams of healthy monounsaturated fat per one ounce serving. The polyunsaturated fat content of one ounce of macadamia nuts is almost 0.43 grams. Calorie content is 204. Almonds are a good source of monounsaturated fat too, but almonds do not contain as much monounsaturated fat as macadamia nuts. One ounce of almonds contains about 8.76 grams of monounsaturated fat and 3.42 grams of polyunsaturated fat. The number of calories in an ounce of almonds is 163.
To include macadamia nuts and almonds in your diet, eat them as a snack. You can also add slivered almonds to salads.
Healthy Fats #3: Avocados
It may seem strange to find fat in avocados since avocados are listed as a type of fruit, and most fruits do not contain fat. But avocados have high-fat content and, luckily, it is the good kind. One avocado has about 19.70 grams of monounsaturated and 3.65 grams of polyunsaturated fat. One avocado contains 322 calories, so limit the number of avocados you eat if you are watching your weight. Tuck avocado slices in tortillas, or make guacamole with avocados and have it with tortilla chips. Avocados can also be added to salads.
Healthy Fats #4: Herring
Herring is an excellent source of monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. Three ounces of herring contains about 3.18 grams of monounsaturated fat and about 1.81 grams of polyunsaturated fat. The number of calories in a three-ounce portion of raw Atlantic herring is 134.
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