The skinny on fat

I meant to get this out sooner but I have been down with the flu. The title of this is a bit cliche' I know, but cut me some slack. I still can't breathe out of my own nose!
Fat is not just fat. After my heart attack, I did extensive study to be able to know what to put in my body and what not to. Here is a little about what I found out and now live by. I encourage you to run a search of your own. You might be just as surprised as I was when you find out that what you thought was healthy actually isn't.
There are several kinds of fats and they all fit into two categories -Good and Bad.
Well, there is one that I put in the 'Dear God never eat that!' category but we'll get to that.
Let's get the bad stuff out of the way so we can concentrate on the good.
Bad Fat - Saturated Fat. A saturated fat comes from an animal source. In rare instances does it ever come from a fruit or vegetable and then it is because man has messed with them. You get saturated fat from meat, egg yolks, milk, cheese....anything that came from an animal. Saturated fat builds up in your arteries over time. It starts in childhood. The more you eat, the less you exercise, the more it builds up. It doesn't just build in your veins and arteries, it builds in your waist, hips and thighs too.
Try to keep your saturated fats as low as possible. I, personally, will not eat anything that has 5 Grams or more of saturated fat. 5 grams doesn't seem like a lot but it is to your arteries. It takes 1000mg to make 1 gram. Once you break it down like that, you can see why I am so diligent.
Dear God never eat that fat! - Trans Fat. Trans fat is a killer. Plain and simple. Trans fat comes from hydrogenation. Even if a label doesn't show any trans fat, look for the word 'hydrogenated' in the ingredients. If that word is there, there is trans fat.  By law, if there is less than 1 gram of trans fat in a product, it does not have to be listed. Hydrogenation is a process that forces oxygen into saturated fat. This makes the products shelf life longer and helps to bind the product together. But hydrogenation changes the molecular structure of the saturated fat and in the end, trans fat is one molecule away from being plastic. If it's in your margarine, you might as well eat the tub. Your body can not sweep away trans fat. It sticks to artery walls and builds very quickly. You can get rid of it through a high fiber low fat diet but be prepared to make it a lifestyle. There is no quick way to get rid of trans fat build up without stent surgery. I never, never, never buy or eat anything that says 'hydrogentated' or lists Trans Fat on the label.
Good Fats - Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated- Those are big words so I just look for 'Poly' and 'Mono' on the label. Both of these are plant based fats. They come from fruits, vegetables, nuts and even some grains. Avocados, bananas, peanuts, almonds, olives, all have high amounts of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. These two fats are artery cleaners when paired with a high fiber diet. They keep arteries flexible, burn belly fat, make your fingernails and hair strong, boost your immune system, regulate digestion, help regulate diabetes....the benefits go on and on.
Amazingly enough, even though fish is considered a meat, it contains high amounts of these good fats. Taking fish oil capsules also helps keep arteries flexible and drive down triglycerides and cholesterol.
Mom said "Eat your vegetables." She was right. I am not a vegetarian or a vegan. I eat meat. I even hunt it when I can. But the point is, limit the amount of meat you eat. Chicken, fish, turkey, lean pork are low in saturated fat. Red meats tend to be higher but if you limit portion size and eat other kinds of meat during the week, you should be fine.
Eat more fruit, vegetables and whole grains than meats. Limit sugar. Exercise.
This is a 'in a nutshell' article because there really is so much to learn but this will get you started while you go learn about nutrition. If you have any questions, feel free to post them!
Now, I'm going to go blow my nose. Again.