Unsaturated fats or the ‘good fats’, found in our diet are of two types, namely Monounsaturated (MUFA) and Polyunsaturated (PUFA) fats. Food Containing Unsaturated Fats can be easily identified as they are liquids at room temperature, and are good for the heart. The Omega 3 fatty acid component of unsaturated fats not only reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, but also help prevent dementia, depression, cancer, joint pain, and inflammatory conditions. On the other hand, unlimited intake of these fats mean excessive energy intake, which if unutilized would lead to obesity and other unwanted health complications.

Thus, judicious intake of unsaturated fats is vital. The next question is how much unsaturated fats does one need? Ideally, for a person based on their needs and health conditions 20-35% energy must come from fats, out of which saturated fats should contribute only 10% or less, the rest should be from unsaturated fats.

Food Sources of Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats can be derived predominantly from plant sources like nuts, oilseeds, vegetable oils, avocadoes, olives,  fish, fish oil, soy an its products, salad dressings, etc. Given below is a list of food items that are rich in MUFA, PUFA, or both.

Top 10 Food Containing Unsaturated Fats

1. Vegetable Oils (Olive, Sesame, Peanut, & Canola): These oils are rich in Monounsaturated fats. It is best if they are consumed in the unprocessed form.
2. Vegetable oils (Soyabeaan, Corn, Sunflower, & Safflower): These oils are rich in Polyunsaturated fats. Oils can be blended together to get an optimal mix of MUFA and PUFA.
3. Fish Oil: Fish oils, like the very popular cod liver oil are one of the richest source of unsaturated fats.
4. Nuts: Nuts are a good source of unsaturated fats, both MUFA and PUFA. Almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, and cashews are especially rich in Monounsaturated fatty acids.
5. Oil seeds: Oil seeds like pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, flax are an excellent source of unsaturated fats, the MUFA-PUFA profile varies in different species.
6. Fish: Fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, and sardines contain unsaturated fats, especially PUFA.
7. Peanut butter: Owing to the peanuts fount in this butter it is a good source of MUFA but is also a good source of saturated fats.
8. Olives: These are not only the raw ingredient to make the MUFA rich olive oil, but they themselves have a good amount of monounsaturated fat content.
9. Avocadoes: It is the only vegetable with a high fat content. It is especially rich in MUFA.
10. Soy: Soy milk and tofu are good sources of PUFA, thus are very good for health.

Unsaturated fats are heart healthy! Read our article on Diet Tips for a Healthy Heart, to find out more about what to incorporate in you diet to keep heart disease at bay.

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