Fats – The Good, The Bad and The Deadly!

Cardiovascular (CV) disease remains the number one killer of Americans – more than all cancers combined.  However, fats are not all created equal and some fats are even helpful. By choosing the right fats and avoiding the wrong ones, you 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).

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

·         Small leafy greens

·         Whole soy foods

·         Omega-3 fortified eggs

·         Canola oil

·         Flax seeds

The best forms are from seafood and omega-3 eggs as those are the only sources that provide the biologically active forms, DHA and EPA. 

The BAD

SATURATED FATS

Saturated fats are the fats found in four-legged animals such as cows, pigs and sheep,  and are found in red meat, whole dairy products, full fat cheese and butter.  These fats can clog your arteries and slow the clearance of LDL particles from the blood, but they also stimulate the liver to make more of the LDL particles as well as raise the bad cholesterol.

These fats also impair the function of the HDL cholesterol particles (good cholesterol).  New science demonstrates how saturated fats affect the brain and appetite.  Beef and dairy fats send signals to the brain to ignore the appetite-suppressing hormones.  The effect is immediate and lasts for up to three days.

How to keep saturated fats at a safe level

·         Limit red meat to two servings or less per week

·         Restrict whole dairy products

·         Use butter sparingly

The DEADLY

TRANS FATS

Trans fats are poison – you should avoid them completely as there is no safe limit.  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. 

How to eliminate trans fats

Trans fats are found in three basic food categories:

·         Processed foods made with partially hydrogenated oils

·         Stick margarine

·         Shortening

Processed foods most likely to contain trans fats include:

·          Baked goods, like cakes and cookies

·         Crackers

·         Fried fast foods *

·         Chips

·         Popcorn

* Most restaurant fried foods are fried in hydrogenated oils – you should try to avoid all fried foods from restaurants. 

Plan of Action for FATS:

1. GET TRANS FATS OUT COMPLETELY!

·         Avoid stick margarine, shortening, and foods containing partially hydrogenated oils

·         Only buy trans fat free margarine spreads

·         Check nutrition labels:  look for “0” grams trans fats and on the nutrition facts label, double check to see if there is partially hydrogenated oil listed in the ingredient listing – don’t eat it if it is listed.

·         Do not eat fried fast foods, burgers, chicken, fish, etc.

2. MINIMIZE SATURATED FAT

·         Keep saturated fats to safe and healthy levels by:

o   Limiting red meat to 2 servings or less per week

o   Using butter sparingly – use olive oil instead

o   Choosing reduced fat dairy products

·         If you enjoy cheese, use the highly flavored cheeses (parmesan, romano, feta) or the less fatty cheeses such as part skim mozzarella, in moderation

·         Use Greek style plain yogurt as substitute for sour cream

·         Limit sweets like ice cream for the occasional treat

3.  CONSUME MONOUNSATURATED FATS AS YOUR MAIN FATS

·         Use extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) or canola oil in food preparation.  For cooking at high temperatures, use canola oil or coconut oil

·         Consume nuts and seeds daily – strive for 1 small handful each day

·         Incorporate peanut butter into your diet

·         Enjoy avocados regularly

4.  GET THE OMEGA-3 FATS IN!

·         Eat three or more servings of oily fish each week.

·         Enjoy walnuts, whole soy foods, flaxseed, wheat germ, canola oil, omega 3 eggs and dark leafy greens for addition omega-3 fats.

·         Limit eggs to less than 5 per week if you are diabetic or have high cholesterol.

This is your FAT Plan – go forth and eat healthy!

Information taken from the book Eat Right for Life, Your Common Sense Guide to Eating Right and Living Well, by Ann G. Kulze MD.

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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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