What is the difference between saturated, poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats?
The difference is in molecular structure. All fat molecules are composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms. A saturated fatty acid has the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms attached to every carbon atom – hence the term “saturated”. An unsaturated fatty acid is missing one pair of hydrogen atoms in the middle of the molecule – a gap called an “unsaturation” A fatty acid with one gap is said to be “monounsaturated”. Fatty acids missing more than one pair of hydrogen atoms are called “polyunsaturated”. Animal foods have more saturated fat; except for palm oil and coconut oil, plant foods have more unsaturated fats. Saturated fats, like butter, meat and dairy fats, shortening and lard, are solid at room temperature. They are the culprits that clog the arteries and lead to heart disease. Saturated fats tend to thicken the blood, causing blood pressure to rise and increasing the work load on your heart. They also promote blood stickiness, exaggerate plaque build-up on the arteries and re
