The Low Down on FAT!

Low down on FAT When people tell me they want to lose weight, they are really talking about losing fat, getting lean, getting rid of the muffin top, back into the skinny jeans or bathing suits.  So what is a healthy amount of body fat?  Guidelines are between 8 and 18% for men and between 20 to 25% for women.  Maintaining a healthy body fat percentage is important for health.  Maintaining muscle mass, or adding lean muscle mass will help you burn more fat.  The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even at rest.  Strength training is your magic bullet when you are trying to lose fat - so get the resistance training going, either with weights or body weight.   This is important for maintain a healthy weight and body fat level. The low down on low fat - You get body fat from stored calories.  Fat in the diet, especially the good fat, has a place in your diet.  Beer bellies come from beer - and there is no fat in beer.  The "fat free" diet foods have added sugars and other chemicals and actually are much worse for you and your fitness goals than eating real food with healthy fat.  Healthy fat comes from fish, nuts, and avocados.  These foods are staples of a healthy diet. Cardiovascular (CV) disease remains the number one killer of Americans - more than all cancers combined.  By choosing the right fats we can slash the risk of CV disease.

The GOOD Good fats provide improved neurologic and mental health, protect from some cancers and diseases, decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes, improve blood fat profile, create a more efficient metabolism and decrease inflammation. GOOD FAT #1 - Monounsaturated fats are plant-based fats that remain liquid at room temperature.  Sources are olive oil, canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.  The benefits of monounsaturated fats are improved health of your arteries, a boost to your metabolism, and protect against insulin resistance (an early precursor to diabetes). TIP - Consuming a small handful of nuts on 5 or more days per week can reduce the risk of death from CV disease by 30 - 50%, while prescription drugs only provide a 25 - 30% reduction.  The same serving of nuts will also reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 27%.  Pistachios are included in the healthy nut list - and also provide an excellent source of powerful antioxidants. GOOD FAT #2 - Omega-3 Fats - these are the heart health superstars!  Benefits include: ·         Reduced progression of atherosclerotic plaque ·         Reduced risk of arrhythmia and sudden death ·         Lowered triglycerides levels ·         Reduced blood clotting tendency ·         Lowered blood pressure ·         Enhanced arterial health ·         Reduced arterial inflammation All of this with no side effects. Where to get these foods: ·         Oily fish - salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, herring and lake trout ·         Walnuts ·         Wheat germ ·         Small leafy greens ·         Whole soy foods ·         Omega-3 fortified eggs ·         Canola oil ·         Flax seeds ·         Oysters BAD FATs -  Bad fats are the saturated fats - or the four legged -as I like to call it.  They come from the four legged animals - cows, pigs, etc.  Along with clogging arteries, these fats impair the function of the HDL cholesterol particles (good cholesterol).   Limit these to 2 times per week. DEADLY FATs - are the Trans fats!  Stay away from these as much as possible.  Trans fats provide a quadruple insult to your arteries, clogging them more readily than any other ingredient ever identified in our food supply.  They lower your HDL (good) cholesterol, elevate triglycerides and directly incite arterial inflammation. In a Harvard-based Nurses' Health Study, subjects who substituted a mere 2% of their daily calories from trans fats with a healthier form of fat, diminished their risk of cardiovascular disease by 53%.  Trans fats are also linked to Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.  Insulin resistance is the metabolic precursor to both metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes, which are both major contributors in the obesity epidemic.   Trans fats are found in three basic food categories: ·         Processed foods made with partially hydrogenated oils ·         Stick margarine ·         Shortening You must read labels to find these because food manufacturers are able to claim their food is trans fat free if it contains a small level.  Read labels and avoid anything with "hydrogenated" in the label.

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