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Fad Diets
Popular diets for a given time. "Fad" implies what's in but not necessarily what's "bad." A time restraint is implied, such that a fad diet will soon fade as new concepts become popular.

Fat
A major source of energy in the diet. All food fats have 9 calories per gram. Fat helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K, and carotenoids.

Some kinds of fats, especially saturated fats, [see definition] may cause blood cholesterol to increase and increase the risk for heart disease. Other fats, such as unsaturated fats [see definition] do not increase blood cholesterol.

Medically, fat is divided into two kinds:

  1. Healthy -- Example = Omega-3 Oils

  2. Harmful -- Example = Trans fatty acids
Fats that are in foods are combinations of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fatty acids.