A structurally sound body requires an adequate supply of fat to maintain over all health. Not ensuring this vital nutrient is included in your body’s composition is like constructing a new house without insulation, proper wiring and a solid foundation. As both are major investments, careful consideration should be given to the quality of the materials used in building each.

You wouldn’t cut corners by using inferior, discounted lumber to create the framework of your dream house, so why would you use unhealthy saturated, hydrogenated or trans fats to nourish your one and only body.

We have long used these fats, which can be found in products like butter, margarine and oil, for cooking and baking. Over the years they grew in popularity due to their convenience, ability to extend the shelf life of food, and low cost, but we have been paying the price with our health. In recent years we have come to learn about the risks that accompany their use. The risk of developing cancer or diabetes is increased with the consumption of such fats.

A diet which includes these fats encourages obesity and can cause inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis. Research suggests they can be a cause of infertility or liver dysfunction. A link to Alzheimer’s disease has been discovered. They increase cholesterol and present a higher risk for stroke. Probably the greatest health concern is the development of heart disease, as just one gram per day of these unfavorable fats increases the risk by 20%.

Enjoying a diet free of these disease promoting, potentially fatal fats, is essential and easily accomplished by choosing healthy alternatives for cooking and baking. As nothing is written in stone, substitutions can be made for butter or oil, that will prevent the health concerns related to such products and provide health benefits of their own. Below are five options to help eliminate these fats from your recipes.

When baking, fresh fruit can be pureed and substituted for butter. Apples, bananas, pears, pineapple and prunes all work great in your favorite baked goods. They add the necessary moistness needed to bind the dry ingredients together and are about the same consistency as butter.

The natural sweetness of the fruit will also allow you to decrease the amount of sugar added. About 1/2 cup of fruit puree will replace 1 cup of butter. You may need to do a little experimenting, as the baking soda or powder might need to be increased a tiny bit. Try to use a fruit that fits well with what you are baking. Bananas are excellent in chocolate brownies, but I don’t think you’d want to try prunes.

Deep frying is wrong on so many levels. Immersing your food in a vat of hot oil or grease, to have it soak in like a sponge, is unhealthy. Baking in the oven can achieve the same crispy results. Marinating chicken wings in a mixture of 1/2 cup hot sauce and 1/4 cup vinegar for thirty minutes before baking in a 375 degree oven produces an excellent deep fried alternative. Potatoes cut to shoestring width and lightly coated with garlic powder and Italian seasoning, then baked in the oven, are a healthier choice than french fries.

Green salads offer much in the way of essential vitamins and minerals, but slathering them with high fat oils and dressings tends to counteract the health benefits. Red wine vinegar is a healthy option, that when combined with various spices and flavorings makes a tasty salad topping.

Use fruit juice as a fat free marinade or baste. Fish and chicken take on a unique flavor when cooked with the juice, rather than a high fat marinade containing oil.

Sauteing doesn’t require the use of butter. Your choice of wine is a healthy substitute. Use three tablespoons of wine to replace every tablespoon of butter.

Omitting these unhealthy fats from your diet is as essential as not including asbestos or lead paint when building that new home. With all the evidence we have there’s no reason to take a risk in either case. You don’t want the final nail to be hammered in your dream home just as they’re tapping the last one in the lid of your coffin.