Diet - Fat

There are a few types of dietary fats that have very positive effects on your cholesterol levels. Probably, the most important one is Monounsaturated Fats. These fats are liquid at room temperature and can be found in olive and canola oils and macadamia nuts. With these fats, you get higher HDL (high-density lipoproteins) and lower triglycerides. Many diets that get about 25% of their calories from monounsaturated fats and about 40% of calories from fat have an increase of 8% to 22% in the HDL and a decrease in triglycerides by up to 24% without showing an increase in LDL levels. This is the classic Mediterranean diet that we here so much about on shows like The Today Show.
Another benefit is available from replacing some of the carbs in your diet with Polyunsaturated Fats. There is an abundance of these fats found in fish, nuts, seed and safflower & sunflower oils. These fats are divided into two groups: omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Your omega-3's are found in fish and fish oil; plants and plant oil are generally the omega-6's. Because your body can't produce these fats, you have to get them from the food you eat. One is an omega-6 fat called linoleic acid, that's found in safflower oil, poultry, red meats and walnuts. Another is an omega-3 fat called linolenic acid, that's found in cold water fish like tuna & salmon and in flaxseed oil. By supplementing your diet with omega-3 fats in the form of fish oil, you can lower your triglycerides by up to 63%. However, it is very important to keep in mind the one type of polyunsaturated fats that you want to stay away from is trans fat.
Going beyond the advantages of lowering you risk of cardio disease, one of the greatest benefits of a higher fat diet is what it does to the hormones. Cholesterol is the building block of testosterone, so it make a little sense that a meat consuming diet would yield more testosterone.
Before I show you how to put together the ideal food plan for you, we have to cover the final piece of the puzzle: Carbs.