Healthy fats?

OK so some people are wondering what I'm talking about when I say "healthy" fat.  Some may not even  know there are different types of fats! So I'm here to explain

As a dietitian student, I hear a lot about fats and the types of fats everyday so here is a little information for those who don't really understand the difference.

OK so there are the "healthier" fats monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.  Then there are the not so healthy fats saturated and trans fats (which is more complicated and I won't be explaining in the post, please ask if you really want to know something!).

OK so the term saturated (or unsaturated) refers to the number of double bonds and degree of saturation with hydrogen of that compound.  This is sort of hard to understand with out a background in Chemistry.  To put it more simple, the less hydrogen and more double bonds the better it is for our bodies.  Polyunsaturated fats or PUFA's are the best under these terms, then monounsaturated or MUFA's, and then saturated fats. 
        -PUFA's are liquid at room temperature and are found in foods such as some nuts, cheeses, leafy greens, and also some fish.
        -MUFA's are also found in some nuts and cheeses.  They're also in avocados and in olive oil. 
        -Saturated fats are found in animal fats (such as tallow and lard) and processed foods such as some chips and candy.  A good example is the common butter.

Both MUFA's and PUFA's have been studied and shown to help lower the LDL in cholesterol levels.  While saturated fats raise the LDL levels, which can lead to cardiovascular disease and other heart problems.  **(Since I'm not discussing LDL's and HDL's in this current blog to put it simply LDL is the bad cholesterol and HDL is the good cholesterol.... "What's this.. healthy fats? good cholesterol?" I know your mind is spinning or maybe you're only slightly confused if you have heard this before.  Please feel free to comment and ask questions.  I'll be happy to answer)**

  To be clear though, your body requires certain amounts of fats, they are essential to our body's functions.  So while it may be convenient to describe them in terms of healthy and unhealthy... this is not necessarily so.  It's really more about the amount of the fats consumed that makes it unhealthy.  So simply put.... don't think of fat as a bad thing just be aware of your consumption of each kind and limit intake of saturated fats while trying to increase intake of the poly and monounsaturated fats.

Return...

I'm finally back after a long break! and even better I have good news too!
Justin got a co-op job near our hometown!!! Yay! we're super excited for him, he's been wanting to co-op but none of the previous companies worked out.  The pay is great the experience is going to be wonderful for his career and he won't have to worry about paying for housing.  But I am pretty sad he won't be around all the time, but that'll be ok. We're hoping to spend most every weekend together. 
Also the fall semester at MSU has begun!  Monday starts the first full week back and already I have homework.  Nothing too hard though.  I'm pretty excited about most of my classes and I've been hearing all of the girls experiences with their field study which makes me excited for mine.  Too bad i'll be waiting almost a year.  That's right folks one short year left until I finally have my Bachelor's degree!!
This is just a short update on all things happening in Starkvegas with the Sheffield family, but I will be back to answering questions and giving diet and exercise advice and recipes soon.
Let me know what you've been up to and any questions you have!!!  I will be more than glad to answer!
Oh yeah check out the social vibe widget on the side of the page!  It's for a really good cause and I promise it won't take much time out of your day.  Thanks bunches