Eat Your Saturated Fat

by Tony Gentilcore

Fat, specifically saturated fat, has long been the evil step sister of the dietary world. Thankfully we have people like Jeff Volek, author of the TNT Diet , to help dispel many of these common myths.

1. Replacing carbohydrates with saturated fats — or any type of fat, except trans fats — results in decreased triglycerides levels, an independent risk factor for heart disease

2. Replacing carbohydrates with saturated fat — or again, any type of fat — results in increased HDL cholesterol levels (that's the good stuff). In fact, saturated fat raises HDL even more than unsaturated fat.

3. Saturated fat increases the size of LDL (bad cholesterol) particles, which are less atherogenic.

4. Not all saturated fats raise cholesterol. For instance, stearic acid, a type of saturated fatty acid found in meats, has a neutral effect on LDL cholesterol.

Steak isn't quite the artery clogger many doctors claim it is. Dr. Volek goes so far as to say that including more saturated fat, while reducing processed carbohydrates/sugar, in your diet will help reduce your risk of heart disease. How do you like demapples?