Best food groups: Nuts, oils, fish
Also consider: Soybean oil, almonds, peanuts, cashews, avocados
What are monounsaturated fats and why are they so important? They are called monounsaturated because their chemical structure includes one (mono) double-bonded (unsaturated) carbon molecule. This fat is also known as MUFA, short for monounsaturated fatty acid. Two different types of monounsaturated fats are found in the diet: palmitoleic and oleic acid. Palmitoleic acid is what you would find in macadamia nuts and animal fats. Although those aren't foods we often think about as being healthy, research has demonstrated that people with higher levels of palmitoleic acid had healthier levels of blood cholesterol, inflammatory markers, insulin levels, and insulin sensitivity. Even though there isn't a heart-health claim allowed for macadamia nuts, diets that included 1.5 ounces a day were as effective in reducing cholesterol as was a standard heart-healthy diet. Oleic acid is what is found in plant foods, such as olive oil and nuts.
Did you know? Monounsaturated fats are the only type of fats known to lower LDL and total cholesterol while, at the same time, thought to raise protective HDL cholesterol.
How much is enough? Eighteen to 28 percent of your total fats should be made up of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, that translates into no more that 16 g of saturated fats, less than 2 g of trans fats, and somewhere between 50 and 70 g of monos and polys combined.
Extra fat, even the good stuff, just spells extra calories . . . which often lead to weight gain! Most health experts recommend you not exceed 35 percent of your calories from total fat.
Did you know?
Pork, lamb, and beef ribs range from 10.26 to 11.46 g of monos per 3-ounce cooked portion. Although they technically deserve a place in the top 7, they are also high in saturated fat and cholesterol; therefore, the nasty fats outweigh the healthy attributes of their monounsaturated fat content. Whole-milk ricotta cheese should have ranked in the top 7 as well, but again it's debatable whether it should be allowed, because of the saturated fat company it keeps. you suggest sticking with mainly lean cuts of meat and low-fat dairy products and getting most of your MUFAs from the top 7.
Supplements: Food sources of MUFAs are both plentiful and delicious, so supplementation isn't necessary.
1. Macadamia Nuts
Dry-roasted macadamia nuts deliver the highest source of monounsaturated fats of any known food. Roasting them increases their nutrient density because water is removed in the process. They are also an excellent source of manganese and a good source of thiamine and fiber. And you'll find heart-healthy phytosterols in macadamia nuts, which play an important role in reducing cholesterol levels and promoting prostate health. Macadamia nuts contain high amounts of the amino acid arginine, which helps promote nitric oxide, expanding arteries to allow for easy blood flow. Less restricted blood flow means less chance for blood clots and stroke. A small, randomized study showed better reduction in total and LDL cholesterol in the macadamia-munching group compared to the control group that skipped the nuts.
2. Hazelnuts
Eat them whole and raw! A study found that many of the health-beneficial nutrients of this nut are contained within the skin instead of the flesh. Roasting was found to diminish the nutrition content slightly.
The hazelnut is the official state nut of Oregon. Over 95 percent of the U.S. production of this nut occurs in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
3. Pecans
Pecans are a good source of fiber and contain more than nineteen vitamins and minerals, as well as monounsaturated fat. They also contain heart disease–fighting phytosterols. Diets high in nuts, including pecans, have been shown to reduce C-reactive protein and inflammatory marker that has been associated with an increased risk for stroke, heart attacks, and circulatory diseases. A 2011 study that appeared in the Journal of Nutrition showed that a pecan-enriched diet was nearly twice as effective in dropping total and bad (LDL) cholesterol, compared to the low-fat Step 1 diet.
4. Safflower Oil
Safflower oil, also an excellent source of vitamin E, is a great healthy substitute for other vegetable oils or butter because it is high in monounsaturated fat, while extremely low in saturated fat and no cholesterol. Additionally, it is flavorless and colorless, so it's perfect when trying to maintain the flavor of a dish. If you need to deep-fry, high-oleic safflower oil is one of the best oils, because it retains nutrients to a high smoke point of 509°F. An Ohio State University study found that a daily 8 g (about 1.5 teaspoons) serving of safflower oil improved blood glucose control, inflammation, and blood lipids in fifty-five diabetic women over the course of sixteen weeks.
5. Herring
Herring are actually grown-up sardines! They are a fatty fish, just like salmon, tuna, and mackerel. Herring is actually twice as high in EPA (a heart-healthy omega-3) than salmon; however, salmon is four times higher in DHA (the other heart-healthy omega-3) than herring. It is also an excellent source of niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium, and vitamins B6 and B12, not to mention being a good source of eight other vitamins and minerals. The University of Maryland Medical Center points to the Inuit for the health benefits of fatty fish, highlighting their low incidence of colon cancer. UMMC also revealed that these omega-3 rich fish can help reduce or slow the progression of other cancers, including breast and prostate.
6. Olive Oil
A staple ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, extra-virgin olive oil is the real stuff you want. Unlike most vegetable oils, olive oil should be consumed in its crude, unprocessed form. This means no heat treatment or machine harvesting, otherwise the delicate compounds that give olive oil that heart health seal of approval are destroyed and/or removed. Olive oil is also good source of vitamin E and contains maslinic and oleanolic acids, which researchers have shown prevent human colon cancer cells from multiplying and restore cellular function. Substituting this liquid gold for an equivalent amount of other fats or oils can help reduce an individual's risk for heart disease.
7. Canola Oil
Canola oil, though often mistaken for its cousin rapeseed oil (not to be confused with grapeseed oil), does not contain the strong-tasting glucosinolates and potentially harmful erucic acid like rapeseed oil does. Canola also contains the lowest level of saturated fats of any vegetable oil and is an excellent source of monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids, which produce healthy cholesterol levels. Like corn oil, canola is also a rich source of vitamin E. In a small three-week, randomized study, subjects with elevated cholesterol were placed on two different diets: one that contained dairy fat, and another that replaced dairy fat with canola oil. The canola oil diet reduced the levels of serum cholesterol by 17 percent, triglycerides by 20 percent, and LDL cholesterol by 17 percent.
Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 24