Fats in Nutrition Fats in Nutrition by Ron Kennedy, M.D., Santa Rosa, California There are four different kinds of fats in human nutrition. Fat is categorized according to its saturation.
Saturation refers to the number of hydrogen atoms attached to the fat molecule.
An example is olive oil. Monounsaturated fat is the healthiest, most easily digested form of fat. These are the thin oils commonly used for frying and for salad dressing. This molecule does not occur in nature, and the body has difficulty digesting it. This is the problem with margarine it contains hydrogenated, trans-fatty acids.