What to Eat? Good Fats vs. Bad Fats for Ketogenic Diet



Fat is one of the major compositions of the keto diet. But, not all fats are essential that’s why it’s important to identify the good fats from the bad fats. This way, you will know which type of fat you need to consume.  Identifying the good fats vs. bad fats and the lazy keto foods that you need is essential to achieve the best possible results in a keto diet and ensure optimal health. 



What are Good Fats for a Ketogenic Diet? 

Good fats are divided into four categories including the saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), and the natural trans fats. If you’re planning to get into a ketogenic diet, you must familiarize first each category of fats so that you can recognize them in choosing the food.

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are believed to be harmful to the heart. But, recently a study has discredited this belief and revealed that saturated fats offer many benefits. The medium-chain triglycerides present in one form of saturated fat is easy to digest by the body. We can find the MCTs in coconut oil and small amounts in palm and butter oil, which can be added to the list of keto diet foods we can eat. 

The MCTs are used as energy, thus help to improve athletic performance and fat loss. Other health benefits that saturated fats provide include the following: 

  • Maintain the normal level of bone density 
  • Enhances the good and bad cholesterol levels 
  • Support the production of essential hormones like testosterone and cortisol 
  • Boost the immune system 

Saturated fats are present in the keto diet foods you eat such as butter, cream, red meat, cocoa butter, palm oil, eggs, coconut oil, and lard. 



Monounsaturated fats 

The monounsaturated fatty acids or MUFAs have been linked to many health benefits. Determining the good fats vs. bad fats will help to choose the foods that you can integrate into your diet. Some of the health benefits that you can obtain from MUFAs include the following: 

  • It reduces the blood pressure and the risk of developing heart disease 
  • Increases the good cholesterol level 
  • Reduced the belly fat and insulin resistance 



MUFAs in a ketogenic diet are present in keto diet foods like avocado and avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, goose fat, macadamia nut oil, lard, and bacon fat. 


Polyunsaturated fats 

It is recommended to consume foods that contain polyunsaturated fats cold. Otherwise, if it is heated or included in cooking it will form free radicals. This may increase the risks of developing heart disease and inflammation. The polyunsaturated fats that are commonly found in keto diet are omega 3 and omega 6, both are essential nutrients. 

You should integrate polyunsaturated fats in your diet to lessen the risk of heart disease, stroke, inflammatory diseases, and autoimmune disorders. It also improves the symptoms of ADHD and depression. As long as you know the good fats vs. bad fats in your keto diet foods, you can ensure to succeed in your ketogenic diet. 

PUFAs are available in walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, and flaxseed oil, fish oil and fatty fish, chia seeds, avocado oil, nut oils, and sesame oil. 

Natural Trans fats 

Most trans fats are unhealthy that’s why they are not recommended to consume. However, you can also find trans fat that is healthy such as the vaccenic acid. This kind of trans fat is naturally present in keto diet foods within the categories of dairy fats and grass-fed meats. 

Consuming natural trans fats provides health benefits such as: 

  • It reduces the potential of obesity and the risk of developing diabetes 
  • It decreases the risk of heart disease 
  • Protects against the risk of cancer 
  • You can find natural trans fats from yogurt, butter, and grass-fed animal products. 

What are the Bad Fats for a Ketogenic Diet? 

The best part of following the keto diet is to consume satisfying and filling dietary fats. Bad fats include processed polyunsaturated fats and trans fats. These kinds of fats can harm your health. That’s why you should use only the unprocessed PUFAs.

Consuming trans fats put your life to potential risks of the following health issues: 

  • Increased risk of acquiring cancer and heart disease
  • Increase the bad cholesterol level while reducing the good cholesterol level
  • Can damage your gut
To avoid those bad effects of processed PUFAs and trans fats, you should avoid consuming hydrogenated oils in crackers, margarine, cookies, and fast food. Likewise, you should also avoid processed vegetable oils.


Final Thought 

The purpose of following a ketogenic diet is to improve the overall health. With this, it is important to choose the keto diet foods sources that will promote good health. To succeed in the ketogenic diet you should stick to the recommended ketogenic ratio of 70% healthy fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbs.

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