How to Be a Conscious Eater

Oils that are liquid at room temperature are a sign of rel-
atively low saturated fat content. Think vegetable oil versus
butter. Or how “oils” like palm and coconut are actually semi-
solid at room temperature; that’s a clear tip-off of saturated fat
content.

Monounsaturated fat: Make it the majority of your total fat intake, along
with polyunsaturated fat. It’s liquid at room temperature, and
sources with high levels of it include olive oil, canola oil, and
peanut oil, as well as avocados and nuts. It lowers LDL and can
raise HDL in certain cases.

Polyunsaturated fat: With essentially the same health effects as
monos, and also liquid at room temperature, polyunsaturated
fat sources include whole grains, fish like sardines and salmon,
and seeds like sunflower and safflower. Polyunsaturated fat
gets special points for omega-3s, which have other health-
promoting properties like keeping heart rates steady. This

COMMON SOURCES OF THE FOUR TYPES OF FAT

Polyunsaturated fat (enjoy)

Trans fat (avoid) Saturated fat (limit)

Monounsaturated fat (enjoy)

BUTTER, CHEESE, STEAKBUTTER, CHEESE, STEAK

AVOCADOS, OLIVE OIL, NUTSAVOCADOS, OLIVE OIL, NUTS FISH, SEEDS, VEGETABLE OILFISH, SEEDS, VEGETABLE OIL

46 how to be a Conscious Eater