Yesterday I talked about ways to cut fat, the bad fats. But are there good fats for you? Are there fatty foods you should be eating every day? What about foods high in unsaturated fats? There are foods with natural sources of healthy fats that your body needs to stay healthy, and they actually keep you from getting hungry. They also keep your cholesterol levels under control.

So what are these foods high in unsaturated fats? Are they mono or polyunsaturated fats? Is one better than the other? Monounsaturated fats can lower the bad LDL cholesterol while polyunsaturated fats can also lower LDL levels and raise the good HDL cholesterol levels. Polyunsaturated fats like omega-3’s also have the triglyceride lowering effect.

Foods high in unsaturated fats, the monounsaturated type, are peanut butter, olives, almonds, pecans, cashews, avocado, sesame seeds, olive oil. Polyunsaturated fats are found in foods like walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seed, and Alaskan salmon.

Experts in the field of cholesterol study recommend that your diet contain no more than twenty percent of its calories from monounsaturated fats. For polyunsaturated fats the caloric intake should be no more than ten percent of the total daily calorie intake. When consuming these fats be sure to enjoy these healthy fats as part of an optimal eating plan, but be sure to cut out the bad fats. Only use these healthy fats and you will be giving your body the fats it requires while helping you to feel full longer.

Now compared to the foods high in unsaturated fats, what about those foods with saturated fats? The problem with them started when foods became corrupted by processing back fifty years ago. So what once was a good thing, like a farm fresh egg, became bad because the chickens were fed a mediocre diet and injected with hormones to produce product faster. Same with butter, milk, beef, etc.

If you want to enjoy these foods, by all means you can, as long as they are from an organic source. There is nothing better for you than an organic egg! It’s a super food! If you want to cook it in a little organic butter or organic coconut oil, that’s fine. Just be sure to adhere to the proper caloric needs of your body and balance your meal plan with other healthy foods. By all means you can enjoy these saturated fats.

If you focus on the idea of stopping the dieting, and start to eat healthfully, for the rest of your life, you will never have to worry about controlling your weight again. With a balance of the proper healthy fats , proteins, and carbohydrates, you can enjoy optimal health.