Monounsaturated Fat

One of the three categories of fatty acids that also includes saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Existing in varying amounts as a component of most animal and vegetable fats, monounsaturated fat is usually in a liquid form at room temperature, and may begin to solidify if it is chilled. Monounsaturated fat is the most desirable type of fat in the diet because it helps to decrease the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood and helps to increase the HDL (good) cholesterol. Good sources of monounsaturated fat are macadamia nut oil, olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and most nuts. Macadamia nut oil has the highest percentage (about 83%) of monounsaturated fat of any edible oil.