The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Unsaturated Fat, Saturated Fat, and Trans Fat

Did you know that your body makes cholesterol for its needs and does not need any cholesterol from your diet?
Cholesterol is made by the liver naturally. It is found in animal food products, but not in plant food products. Although cholesterol is essential and important to mammals, high blood cholesterol increases the risk of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the  thickening of the arteries which can reduce or even block the blood flow to the heart, brain, kidneys, and other body parts. This increases your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and other circulatory problems.
If your cholesterol intake is high then your liver will normally make less. Dietary cholesterol is found in egg yolks, cheese, beef, poultry, pork, and shrimp. Dietary cholesterol intake doesn't harm you as much as total fat intake, which can indirectly effect cholesterol. There are essentially four categories of fats - saturated, trans, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats and trans fats are quite the culprits. These are the bad fats that you want to avoid, as they can lead to the higher cholesterol and atherosclerosis. Saturated fats are in cheeses, some oils, meat products, cream, milk, butter, and some prepared foods.
Trans fats are a completely different beast. While they are chemically, similar to the (good) unsaturated fats (soon to be discussed), a hydrogenation process makes them extremely bad for your health and cholesterol. A good place to find trans fats are in processed foods, such as McDonalds. Research indicates that trans fats are extremely detrimental to your health. This has even led some countries, such as Denmark and Switzerland, to nationally ban trans fats.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the good fats you want in your diet. Monounsaturated fats tend to lower bad cholesterol (LDL - low density lipoprotein) while possibly raising good cholesterol (HDL - high density lipoprotein). Avocados, peanuts, olive oils, and canola margarine are foods that are rich in monounsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats have two main classes: omega-3 and omega-6. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are found in canola oil, soybean oil, and fish. Omega-6 polyunsaturated fats are found in safflower, sunflower, and corn oils. You can also find polyunsaturated fats in nuts, seeds, fish, algae, leafy greens, and krill..
So, when your diet is high in saturated and trans fats you run the risk of elevating your blood cholesterol level, which in turn can lead to health issues. Foods with high saturated fats can increase your blood cholesterol level indirectly, even when nutrition facts indicate there is not cholesterol in the food. However, when saturated fats are balanced with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, little elevation in LDL (bad) cholesterol occurs. You should try and limit saturated fat intake (like beef), while maintaining high levels of monounsaturated fat intake (like avocados) and polyunsaturated fat intake (like fish). An overall balance should be the goal; even too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Being mindful, of the different good and bad fats, is one element that contributed to my weight loss. I wasn't trying to "diet", I was just trying to be healthy.
Here is a recipe I tried yesterday and I was very impressed. It was extremely delicious and had healthy fats! It substitutes the oil  in salad dressing with avocado. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2908