Written by: Sam
Everyone at some point has heard the theory that if we want to be healthy, we have to have a diet in low as fat as possible. As soon as we see the "no fat" label on the food, we don't think twice about getting it because it'll be "healthy". You will see those people who think they are healthy because they're munching on vegetables, fruits, and dry toast all day in order to keep their fat content as low as possible. They have a skinny figure, but they often look pale, have low energy, and are ultimately too skinny. The reason why they're in this state is because we actually
need fat; fats keep our internal bodily processes working at an optimum level, gives our body cushion and protection from injuries, along with providing energy, satiety, and good taste to our food. The tricky part, though, is finding the right balance of fat in your diet. If we have too much of it, we are at risk of major health problems, namely heart disease and diabetes. If we don't get enough of it, our body function will be compromised and we will often feel very weak.
So what are the right fats to eat then? Choosing the right fats to eat depends on what it does to our bodies cholesterol level. The two types of cholesterol are called HDL (high density lipoprotein) and LDL (low density lipoprotein). HDL is known as the "good" cholesterol, and it is considered good for a variety of reasons: 1) it helps remove the bad cholesterol 2) it reuses and recycles the bad cholesterol by transporting it to the liver for reprocessing, which prevents it from being detrimental to your health 3) HDL's act as maintenance of the inner walls of blood vessels, and damage to these walls are what the cause of heart attacks and stroke. Looking at the other side of the spectrum, LDL's are considered bad because it contributes to plaque inside your arteries and is the main cause of heart attacks and stroke. With all this being said, I am going to get into the different types of fat out there and talk about which ones we should eat and which ones we should stay away from.
Avoid:
Trans Fat - This is the worst kind of fat you can possibly eat and it is recommended to avoid it at all costs. The thing that makes trans fat so bad is that it raises LDL and lowers HDL at the same time. Trans fats are produced through a process called hydrogenation, where an additional pair of hydrogen atoms is added to a molecule, turning an unsaturated fat into a solid fat. Trans fats are made to improve flavor, texture, and shelf life of foods, but it'll clog up your arteries real quick. Trans fats are often found in cookies, pizza, shortening, cake mixes, and fried foods.
Saturated Fat - saturated fat comes from animal products, raises LDL, and is solid at room temperature. Saturated fat is commonly found in foods such as butter, bacon, cheese, hydrogenated oils, and red meat. The general guideline is to keep your saturated fat count to <10% of your total calories (There are 9 calories in 1 gram of fat). If you don't feel like doing the math, basically do your best to stay away from it whenever you can. But, a slice of pizza and a few slices of bacon never killed anybody, so feel free to go for that every now and then in small amounts!
Go for these instead:
Monounsaturated Fat (MUFA) - comes from plant foods and is considered the healthiest kind of fat because it raises HDL and lowers LDL at the same time. It's found in olive, canola, peanut, and sunflower oil and some common food sources include avocados, nuts, and peanut butter. The three foods I mentioned before may be high in calories and fat, but don't let that scare you off; you are filling yourself with healthy fats/calories so feel free to integrate those into your diet. MUFA's are an important contributor to good heart health and healthy cholesterol levels.
Polyunsatured Fat (PUFA) - this fat is not as good as MUFA's, because although it raises your HDL's, it could slightly raise LDL's as well. PUFA's are found in fatty fish (salmon, tuna, walleye), canola oil, safflower, and corn oil. Just like with MUFA's, they are good for your heart and cholesterol and should be incorporated into your diet.
So is it okay to just eat a lot of fat even if it's healthy fats? The answer is no. Fats will still make you fat if eaten out of control, as the maximum level of fat is 35% of total calories. The key is that you want to eat fats that will improve your health and not clog your arteries. It's easy for people to fall into the trap of seeing MUFA's or PUFA's on the food label and then eating as much as they want because it's healthy fat. But remember, everything should be eaten in moderation.
Helpful Tips/Substitutions in reducing "bad fat" intake:
The following tips I am sharing with you are things that I have tried out for myself, and I don't feel that I've lost out on anything since making the switch. These tips might take awhile to get used to because of the difference in taste, but the new options will still taste great if done well!
1)
Go for the reduced fat options for foods - In general, reduced fat food will still have close to the same amount of flavor without the extra, unnecessary fat. Last week I bought reduced fat kettle cooked chips for the house, and they tasted just about the same as regular kettle cooked chips. But at the same time, I know for foods such as cheese, reduced fat options don't melt as well, so in that case, just go for the real stuff.
2)
Ditch the red meat, and go for fish - I'm blessed enough to have great cafeterias at Michigan State that serve a wide variety of food, and our cafeterias serve fish everyday. I used to always pass on it and go for the steak/burgers/pot roast that they often serve, which tastes great but kinda leaves me feeling overly fat afterwards. So starting last year, I've been trying to stay away from that as much as I can and choosing the fish they serve instead. Fish gets a bad reputation because people think it's dry, too strong in flavor, or overly light and not filling. I used to think all those things too, but you will be surprised! If prepared well, it can be one of the best tasting proteins out there in my opinion. Fish such as walleye, salmon, or halibut are really meaty and can fill you up just as well as a steak. On top of that, fish is packed with Omega 3's (PUFA), so it will help you feel full, and you will be full with the right fats.
3)
Use Olive Oil as a substitute for butter - I used to always spread butter on my bread, because it's a classic combo that tastes great. But after going through my nutrition courses and hearing nothing good about butter, I definitely had to make a change. As mentioned before, Olive oil is a MUFA, so I have been dipping my bread in olive oil and black pepper (fresh cracked pepper is preferred since it has a more pungent flavor), and it honestly tastes better than butter since it brings a more interesting and complex flavor.
Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/hdl-cholesterol-the-good-cholesterol
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/ldl-cholesterol-the-bad-cholesterol
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