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One of the biggest mistakes I see with people who are advocating a low-fat diet is they seldom want to make mention that not all fats are created equal.  So here I will go into a rant.

I must emphasize that not all fats are bad, quite the contrary, they are some fats which are beneficial to human development because they contain the fat soluble vitamins K, A, D, and E.  Not to be excluded aswell are such antioxidants as ALA (alpha linoleic acid AKA Omega 3 Fatty Acids) and Linoleic Acid (Omega 6 Fatty Acids).  Fats also provide satiety to our diets and thus help limit our food consumption and provide a concentrated source of calories.

Now that we have made a clear point that not all fats are bad perhaps it is time to sort fats into the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good – These fats contain a higher ratio of Mono-Unsaturated compared to the other types.  In this category I place Olive Oil, and Canola Oil as the best two examples.

The Bad – Saturated Fats such as Lard and all animal fats including Butter.  Use as little as possible of these.

The Ugly – Trans fatty Acids, these are often labeled as partially hydrogenated oils and are often heavily used in such things as pastries, cookies, cakes, microwavable popcorn, these may be even more damaging than saturated fats.  So their intake is to be heavily limited.

In closing it is my personal belief that olive oil is the best oil to use in moderation along with oily fish and some nuts (not peanuts or palm kernels).  The reason I say this is that even though Canola is just a bit higher in Mono Unsaturated Fats, I have some concern that the human body has not evolved to adequately utilize/process this oil as Canola is an oil produced from a plant which has not been around that long.  Olive oil though has been in the human diet for centuries and thus I believe the body has during this time evolved to more efficiently handle the oil.  I am quite happy that the FDA has given some support to Olive oil’s claims of being a healthier choice when it comes to prevention of atherosclerosis and lowering cholesterol.