Saturated fats are the really bad fats that are blamed for clogging arteries, causing heart attacks and strokes, and also occasionally associated with cancer (particularly colon and breast cancer).

Saturated fats can be found in red meat, poultry, whole dairy products (milk, yogurt, lard and butter). Saturated fats can be good in that it’s a powerful source of fuel. If you’re dieting, some saturated fats can also help to suppress your appetite for hours longer than other fats (hence why the Atkins diet has worked for some people). Food that’s fried in saturated fat tend to have a vastly superior, but this can obviously be deceptive.

By and large however, saturated fats are bad for you. Eat lots of saturated fats for several years and it will likely result in clogged blood vessels. Additionally, the more saturated fat you eat, the higher your bad cholesterol, and it also seems to lower your good cholesterol. If you think exercising can work off saturated fat, yes it’s possible, but you’ll need to do a LOT of exercising to reverse its effects.

Stay away from saturated fats as much as you can possibly can. If you want to lose weight or maintain your shape, staying away from saturated fat will need to be a key component of your overall plan.

Polyunsaturated Fat generally is oil that’s extracted from vegetables – soy mostly (but also corn and safflower oil). Polyunsaturated fatty acids reportedly lower levels of both good and bad cholesterol. You can find polyunsaturated fat in the various vegetable oils that you may buy at your supermarket, in margarine and in some dairy substitutes that use plant oil (e.g. coffee creamers).

Ultimately, the only real benefit of polyunsaturated fat is that it is NOT saturated fat (i.e. the bad fat that is blamed for clogging arteries, causing heart attacks etc.).

Cooking with polyunsaturated fat oils will reduce your intake of saturated fat, but not your calorie intake. For example, one piece of fried chicken can still deliver up to 300 calories because it has been bathed in oil. Additionally, some early studies have shown a possible association with cancer.

Ultimately, you should try not to use Polyunsaturated fat products at all. It’s better than saturated fat, but still not great. Don’t fry, but if you must, brush it on the frying pan then saute it at a low heat. Don’t submerge your food in the oil.