Fats for Dummies (that's me!)

Do you have trouble remembering which fats are good, and which fats are bad? If you do, I don’t think you’re alone. There must be a kazillion of us out here who can’t keep it straight.

Why else would the American Heart Association go to all the trouble of creating The Fats Family – complete with animated webisodes?

Have you met the Fats Brothers, Trans and Sat (short for saturated)?

Apparently, they are “charming fellows, but they will clog your arteries and break your heart.” They represent the “bad fats” – the ones that can raise your bad cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease.

But their Better Fats Sisters, Mono (short for Monounsaturated) and Poly (short for Polyunsaturated) are all about looking out for your heart.

They represent the “good fats” – the ones that can lower your bad cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Yes, it’s kind of a silly and childlike campaign – but I’m kind of silly and childlike, too, so it’s effective. At least now I can remember which is which.

Here's the Fats Sisters webisode. They are much less annoying than their brothers.