The Complete Guide To Fats

A Complete Guide to Fats

Omegas, saturated, polyunsaturated, trans-fatty acids—there are a lot of different types of fats out there, and it's easy to confuse the good and the bad. But establishing a healthy diet requires understanding their differences. This begins, says Melissa Majumdar, the spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, by learning how fats are categorized—which ultimately comes down to their chemical structures. While some fats are actually man-made and should be avoided, others are natural and integral to building and maintaining good heart health. Ahead, everything you need to know about each type of fat.

Related: Science Says Cutting 300 Calories a Day May Benefit Your Heart

Anna Williams

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are saturated with hydrogen atoms, meaning they have no double bonds and are most often found in cheese, spreads, salad dressings, poultry with skin, fatty beef, and butter. As for how much of these fats you should eat? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 suggest we consume less than 10 percent of our daily calories from saturated fats. The American Heart Association suggest five to six percent of calories from saturated fats.

Trans-Fatty Acids

Also known as trans fats, trans-fatty acids are man-made; oils are partially hydrogenated— which means that hydrogen atoms are added—to make the fats more shelf stable. In doing so, the hydrogenation process creates a fat that our body does not natively produce or understand how to process—which is ultimately why these fats can lead to heart disease. As you'd expect, trans fats are culprits in processed foods, including everything from baked goods and margarine to packaged snacks and fried foods. Just as understandable? Both the Dietary Guidelines and the American Heart Association agree that trans fats should be avoided altogether.

Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats are fatty acid chains with one double bond (monounsaturated), or more than one double bond (polyunsaturated). Olive and canola oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, and tofu have plenty of good-for-you unsaturated fats; you'll notice that all aforementioned foods are widely considered to be healthy. There's a reason for this: The vast majority of the fats you consume should be either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, says just about every healthcare provider out there. Adds Majumdar, "We can swap saturated fats with unsaturated fats by relying on seafood and fatty fish for our protein source, choosing oils like olive and canola oil for cooking, or opting for oil-based instead of creamy dressings," she explains. These tweaks are more than worth it: "We know that replacing just five percent of calories from saturated fats with unsaturated fats helps reduce the risk of heart disease by 42 percent."

Omega-3 Fatty Acids 

These fatty acid chains have three double bonds and are found in fatty fish like salmon, albacore tuna, and anchovies, as well as walnuts, seaweed, flaxseeds, and chia seeds. "The average American is not eating enough omega-3 fatty acids—this is the fat that makes fish the superstar," says Majumdar. "Most of us are eating three ounces of fish weekly, falling short of the recommended eight to 12 ounces per week."

Why does the kind of fat you consume matter?

Ultimately, understanding how fats impact your body is critical, since choosing too many of the "bad" types can lead to poor heart health. "Most Americans exceed the recommendation for saturated fats. Saturated and trans fats, are associated with higher LDL (bad cholesterol levels), while unsaturated fats, are associated with higher HDL cholesterol," explains Majumdar. "LDL cholesterol clogs arteries, while HDL is the street cleaner, helping to move the LDL swiftly through the arteries, thus avoiding the waxy buildup. Higher LDL levels and intake of saturated and trans fats has been associated with heart disease." By sticking with the recommended fat intake, you can lower your risk of heart disease—and maintain a healthier diet overall.

Your Complete Guide to Fitness Trackers in 2020

If you’ve come across someone that stares down at their wrist and they’re not checking the time, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered a fitness tracker before.

These smart pieces of tech — often looking like normal wrist watches — have been around for a few years, promising to give you a helping hand in monitoring your health, fitness, step count, sleep and much more.

That said, fitness trackers now go beyond counting steps, tracking workouts and logging your sleeping patterns or water intake. They can also keep you away from your smartphone for longer and can even have your back when you’ve left your wallet at home.

If you’re thinking about investing in fitness trackers for the first time and have no idea what they can do or what to look out for, Men's Health has broken down everything you need to know right here. Plus, we pick the very best fitness trackers you can buy with any budget. Strap in.

The key to using your fitness tracker is to understand that it’s not a miracle worker but, instead, a tool that can help you understand where you can invest your time to become fitter, healthier and happier

Tomohiro OhsumiGetty Images

Let's make one thing clear — fitness trackers aren’t going to instantly help you become fitter. Instead, a fitness tracker will lead you to do that gradually over time. Whether that’s challenging you to clock up more steps for the day or encouraging you to go to bed a little bit earlier, there's plenty of data to encourage you to get more active.

Fitness trackers are for everyone too, from CrossFit radicals to soon-to-be Ironmen. For example, a user may already be hitting the gym three or four times a week, but could benefit from thinking more about nutrition or sleep habits, instead of smashing HIIT sessions on a daily basis.

Inspire HR Health & Fitness Tracker

Fitbit amazon.co.uk

• Goal based exercise modes
• Heart rate monitor
• Five days battery life

Apple Watch Series 5 Smartwatch

Apple amazon.co.uk

• Guided breathing exercises
• Sleep tracking (via third party apps)
• 18 hour battery life

Move ECG Fitness Tracker

Withings amazon.co.uk

• One year battery life
• Automatically track exercise
• Built-in ECG heart rate monitor

Charge 3 Advanced Fitness Tracker

Fitbit amazon.co.uk

• 24/7 heart rate tracking
• Swim tracking
• Up to seven days battery life

What to Look for In Your Next Fitness Tracker

If you think it’s time that you had a fitness tracker in your life, there are a few key things to consider before you part with your hard-earned money. Some things are more obvious than others, but if you can tick off the key ones, you’ll get the best tracking experience with minimal fuss. Without further ado...

Are You Compatible With Your Fitness Tracker?

More specifically, make sure it will actually work with your phone or a computer. Most — if not all — fitness trackers are required to be paired to your smartphone over Bluetooth to sync the data from the device to the companion app that lives on your phone. Many trackers will still let you sync to a computer too, but it’s likely the majority of your encounters will be through your phone.

Most fitness trackers work with Android phones and iPhones, but check the company website that your phone is listed as compatible and that it’s running the right software that will let you connect the two devices together.

Make Sure It's Built to Go The Distance

Durability is another thing to look out for. If you’re planning to wear it the whole day and even at night, make sure it’s well built to let you do that. Ensure there’s no materials used in the tracker that you know you’re allergic to or may cause irritation to your skin.

If you’d quite like to wear it in the shower or go swimming with it, check the waterproof rating. Many are only sweat-resistant or rainproof while others are designed to be worn in the swimming pool and in open water.

Fitness Trackers and Battery Life

Think about whether you’re happy to charge something as regularly as your phone. The battery life that fitness trackers can dish out can vary from a few days to a few weeks and battery life is influenced by how much the fitness tracker is being used.

Keep in mind that features like a colour screen or an always-on heart rate monitor can impact on battery performance. Always check to see if you can turn off or adjust these features to prolong battery life.

Battery life, compatibility and durability should all come into account when you’re shopping for a new fitness tracker

Dave KotinskyGetty Images

What to Avoid With Your Fitness Tracker

There are a lot of fitness trackers out there. Scrawl the web of most online retailers and you’ll find swathes of devices and brands. Some that you’ll be familiar with, others you won’t be so much.

A lot of companies have mastered the art of putting the core fitness tracking tech features into a familiar-looking design — the Fitbit silhouette, for example, is replicated countless times — but, usually, it pays to go with brands that you know.

Going for those lesser-known brands will often lead to devices that are poorly built and have accompanying software that can prove to be unreliable or buggy. If it’s cheap, it’s cheap for a reason.

The Apple Watch is one of the most popular fitness trackers on the market

Drew AngererGetty Images

Fitness Tracker Features Explained

There’s a few key things that you’ll hear or read about when you’re on the hunt for a fitness tracker. Here, we outline a few of the main buying points to consider, plus how to recognise the features that most trackers should now be capable of, regardless of price point or budget.

Step Tracking

Back when pedometers were a thing, this was their core function and, since then, they have become a key part of fitness trackers. Using a motion sensor called an accelerometer, it’s able to interpret movement from your wrist to indicate your movement indoors and outdoors. This can often be calibrated to get more accurate results.

Stairs Climbed

You might be focusing on getting more steps in your day, but if those steps are heading up a flight of stairs, that’s even better for you — as far as burning more calories is concerned. Fitness trackers use an altimeter to measure this elevation. Not all trackers have them, so if this is something you care about, it’s something you should check.

Sleep Monitoring

Next to step tracking, sleep monitoring is a feature most fitness trackers offer. This is usually done automatically using the same accelerometer sensor that’s used to determine when you’re moving. This time it looks at when that accelerometer is not active to determine that you’ve hit the sack. Sleep monitoring can record aspects such as duration and even break down types of sleep and offer recommendations to improve your bedtime.

Heart Rate Monitoring

Typically, the ability to monitor your heart rate is designed with exercise in mind and offering an insight into your effort levels. With fitness trackers that has now evolved to offer insights into your current state of fitness and even to provide richer sleep tracking data. It can also be used to offer ‘stress tracking’, which uses a measurement of heart rate to determine how relaxed or stressed you are.

Best Entry Level Fitness Trackers 

Mi Band 4 Fitness Tracker

• Full colour display• Waterproof up to 50m• Swim tracking 

It does the basics like step tracking and automatic sleep monitoring with minimal fuss and shows off your data on a touchscreen display you’d expect to find on something at least twice the price. It also finds room to fit a heart rate monitor into its relatively slimline body that performs well for high intensity workouts. Up to 20 days of battery life means you won’t be grabbing that charger for a while to top off one of the best value fitness trackers you can get on your wrist.

Samsung Galaxy Fit E

Samsung amazon.co.uk

£35.64

• Automatic workout tracking• Heart rate monitor•View phone notifications

A colourful, slim tracker that won’t dominate your wrist, it has the tech on board to track your steps, sleep and can automatically track running and walking, although you need to be paired up to a smartphone to get accurate data for your workouts. The display isn't the brightest to view in all conditions. 6 to 7 days of battery life. 

Inspire HR Health & Fitness Tracker

Fitbit amazon.co.uk

£74.95

• Goal based exercise modes• Heart rate monitor• Five days battery life

This offers everything you can get from a fitness tracker including counting steps, tracking distance covered and automatically monitoring sleep. The waterproof design means you can truly wear it all the time and the heart rate monitor brings richer sleep tracking insights. Fitbit’s companion smartphone app is by far the easiest to use on any fitness tracker. 

Band 3 Pro - Smart Band Fitness Activities Tracker with Touchscreen

HUAWEI amazon.co.uk

£49.99

• Built-in GPS• Heart rate monitor• 12-day Battery life

The bright touchscreen display helps to view your data on and it’s waterproof with swim tracking enabled. It’s also one of the few fitness trackers out there that offers built-in GPS so you can track outdoor runs and rides and leave your smartphone behind. The software can have its odd buggy moments, but it’s a tracker that offers a lot for well under £100.

The Best Mid-to-High End Fitness Trackers 

Versa Lite Health & Fitness Smartwatch

Fitbit amazon.co.uk

£129.00

• Automatically track exercises• Download apps• Over four days battery life

The Versa Lite is one that cuts some features from its full-fat Versa to keep the price down. You can’t pile music onto it or track swimming, but all of its fitness tracking features remain. That also includes advanced sleep metrics thanks to the onboard heart rate monitor and it can automatically recognise a range of exercises. Get week-long battery life to keep you tracking longer than most smartwatches.

Fitbit Charge 3 Advanced Fitness Tracker

Fitbit amazon.co.uk

£94.99

• 24/7 heart rate tracking• Swim tracking• Up to seven days battery life

Fitbit’s flagship fitness tracker offers everything you can get in Fitbit’s cheapest trackers including the ability to track your steps climbed and heart rate. If you opt for the Special edition Charge, you can also make payments while a built-in SpO2 sensor will be unlocked in the future to offer richer health tracking insights when Fitbit is ready to turn it on. It packs a nice display to view your stats and phone notifications and delivers week-long battery life. 

Vivosmart 4 Smart Activity Tracker

Garmin amazon.co.uk

£91.98

• Pulse oximeter sensor• Displays phone notifications• Up to seven days battery life

The Vivosmart 4 is a step up from the Vivofit 4 packing a bigger display but manages to do that in an even slimmer, more comfortable band. On top of the usual fitness tracking suspects, it is one of the best at motivating you to keep moving, whether it’s subtly pushing up your daily step goals or letting you know when you’ve been sitting down at your desk for too long. It’s one of the few trackers that offers rep counting for selected gym workouts, though it can be a bit tricky to do on that small display. 

Samsung Galaxy Fit Fitness Tracker

Samsung www.samsung.com

£99.99

• Waterproof up to 50 metres
• Advanced swim tracking
• Exercise tracking

The Galaxy Fit is a fitness tracker that’s well built to monitor your activities on land and in water. It has a nice, bright touchscreen display, which is easy to view when you’re upping the treadmill pace or staring down at it in the water. It has everything you want from a fitness tracker and is backed up by Samsung’s Health companion smartphone app, which is a little clunky in places but has everything you should need to monitor progress, with seven days battery

The Best Fitness Tracker Smartwatches 

Apple Watch Series 5 (GPS, 44mm) - Space Gray Aluminum Case

Apple amazon.co.uk

£409.00

• Guided breathing exercises• Sleep tracking (via third party apps)• 18 hour battery life

It’s probably the smartwatch you’ve heard about the most, and for good reason. The Series 5 will do the basics like counting steps and monitoring your heart rate during the day – it displays your progress in 'activity rings' that you will get addicted to try and close. If you want to do more advanced tracking, there’s the sensors on board to track running, swimming and a whole lot more too.

Galaxy Watch Active2 Fitness Tracker

Samsung amazon.co.uk

£239.00

• Store four weeks of activity data
• Basic swim features
• One year battery life

Samsung’s cheapest smartwatch covers the bases like counting steps, tracking sleep automatically and can automatically recognise when you’ve started going for a walk or a run. It also knows when you’ve not been active and will give you a nudge to get moving, suggesting exercises to perform sitting at your desk or when you’re up on your feet. There's more battery life to play with than Apple’s smartwatches, while supporting Spotify playlists and NFC payment options.

Versa 2 Health & Fitness Smartwatch

Fitbit amazon.co.uk

£158.69

• Store four weeks of activity data
• Basic swim features
• One year battery life


Fitbit made its name making fitness trackers and it’s no surprise to find the best it has to offer on that front inside of its smartwatches. It can track everything from steps, heart rate and stairs climbed. You can expect around a week’s worth of battery life, and it also has arguably the most reliable and insightful sleep tracking features available in any fitness tracker right now. There’s even Amazon Alexa on board to ask about your progress that should evolve to be more useful over time. This is all underpinned by a companion app that’s one of the most user-friendly making it a far from daunting place to view and analyse your progress.

Venu GPS Smartwatch with Bright Touchscreen Display

Garmin amazon.co.uk

£316.97

• Store four weeks of activity data
 • Basic swim features
 • One year battery life

The Venu offers the basics like step counting and sleep monitoring alongside features like Body Battery monitor, tapping into your biometric data to let you know how much energy you have for the day. It also offers unique features like adaptive step goals that adjust depending on your progress, and it can also track your stress for a more mindful approach to your tracking. The Venu houses some of the best sports features in the business too. 

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The Complete Guide to Buying CBD Oil for Cats

What Is CBD Oil for Cats?

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Hemp is a plant silently taking over the world. Now, more people are turning to medicines and products, containing CBD oil, extracted from hemp. In animals, the use of CBD is gaining traction. Aside from humans, cats, dogs, horses, are benefiting from CBD.

If you are not yet acquainted with CBD, perfect! Herein, the benefits of CBD are explored, how it works when taken by cats, methods of administration and more. Ultimately, in the end, you will understand why people are going crazy over this chemical. We expound on the million dollar question, is CBD safe and legal?…

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