Fat Is Not A Four Letter Word

Quick Tips for Reducing Fat

Fat is not a four letter word. In fact, as a supplier of concentrated energy and "essential fatty acids," it is a valuable and necessary part of a healthy diet. It is eating too much of the wrong kinds of fat that can cause health problems, and in this article I explain the differences between "good" and "bad" fats.

Why Some Fat is Good for You

Fat is where our body stores excess calories. When your body's stores of carbohydrates have been depleted, which can occur after as little as 20 minutes of aerobic activity, it draws on necessary reserves of fat for energy.

All Fats Are Not Created Equal

The fats you eat, as opposed to the ones that exist in your body and blood stream, are divided into three categories, according to the level of their hydrogen saturation. Most fats contain all three kinds but are named according to the one that predominates. They are:

1. saturated
 2. monounsaturated
3. polyunsaturated

Saturated Fat

Saturated fats contain as many hydrogen atoms as possible, are found in animal fats such as in meat and cheese, and are solid at room temperature. Consuming saturated fats can lead to high levels of "bad" cholesterol. A note of explanation: "Good" cholesterol carries the artery-clogging cholesterol out of your body. "Bad" cholesterol carries the cholesterol around the body, depositing where it can cause serious problems. Saturated fats interfere with your body's natural "good" cholesterol to do its job of clearing cholesterol out of the blood and many studies have established a clear link between high blood cholesterol levels and heart disease.

Unsaturated Fatty Acids

Polyunsaturated fats come from plants and fish. They are usually liquid at room temperature and, because of their high degree of unsaturation, they break down rapidly and are more likely to combine with oxygen to form free radicals which damage tissues and ultimately place you at higher risk for diseases such as arthritis, cataracts, and cancer.

Monounsaturated fats, so called because of having the least amount of hydrogen, are found in foods such as nuts, peanut butter, avocado, and olive oil. Current research suggests that, as fat goes, monounsaturated is the healthy choice because of its ability to raise the level of your "good" cholesterol.

A Word About Cholesterol

Dietary cholesterol is found only in those foods derived from animals, such as meat, dairy products and eggs. And though it is required for the health of every cell of the body and for important functions such as the synthesis of sex hormones, bile acids and vitamin D, it is not necessary to actually consume cholesterol because the body produces its own ("good" cholesterol). But even though the body produces its own cholesterol, it needs a lift from fat to in order to travel efficiently throughout the body. Here is where good and bad become especially important.

In a seeming contradiction, fatty foods often contain cholesterol, but fat and cholesterol are not the same thing. (Shrimp and lobster, for example contain high amounts of cholesterol, but no almost no fat.) Interestingly, cholesterol itself does not have as adverse an effect on the level of bad cholesterol in the blood as saturated fat does. Conversely, monounsaturated fats help raise the body's level of "good" cholesterol by providing the vehicle for its efficient distribution.

Fact:

The maximum recommended level of dietary cholesterol is 300 mg. One egg yolk contains about 250 mg.

Dietary Fat Breakdown: What Your Fat Limits Should Be

It is recommended for a healthy diet that you consume no more than 30% of your calories as fat, and of those, only 10% should be saturated. One gram of fat equals 9 calories, so a little bit will quickly add up to your 30%. If the calculations seem complicated, this might help: For every 1000 calories you eat, you should have no more than 33 grams of fat. Eating some foods with little or no fat frees you up to eat other foods that may contain more than 30% of calories from fat. If you eat more than 30% fat on one day, just be sure that by the end of the week, your fat intake averages 30% or less of your caloric intake.

To make this a little easier, here are some suggestions for cutting back on saturated and polyunsaturated fats while substituting some healthful monounsaturates:

TIPS FOR CUTTING DOWN THE FATS

  1. Choose leaner cuts of meat. Look for the words "loin," "round," and "select." Avoid "prime" or "choice" and trim all the fat you see off the meat before you cook it.
  2. Keep your portions small. Three ounces of beef, chicken or pork (about the size of a deck of cards) should be the limit.
  3. Replace meat with fish a couple of times a week. Broil or grill rather than fry.
  4. Choose skinless chicken breast or turkey breast.
  5. Drink skim milk.
  6. Eat less cheese, and choose low fat varieties.
  7. Eat fat free yogurt and use it instead of sour cream in baking, dips and sauces.
  8. Serve vegetarian meals that highlight grains and legumes several times a week.
  9. Use olive oil in salad dressings and stir fries.
  10. Steer clear of baked goods like muffins, danish, cookies and cakes. and instead choose things like whole wheat breads, English muffins and low fat crackers. This will also increase your intake of complex carbohydrates.
  11. Build your meals around vegetables and grains and use meat as the condiment. This will not only keep your fat in check, but will help you avoid over consuming protein.

Tip to Remember: Fat for fuel. Monounsaturated are best.

by Sue Gilbert, MS, Nutritionist

Fat Calculations Made Easy

We all know that lowering your dietary fat intake is highly desirable for good health and body weight. Your total fat consumption should be no more than 30% of your total calories. But how do you apply the numbers in real life?

Take a box of crackers with 8 grams of fat and 150 calories per serving.

Step One:

Fat contains 9 calories per gram.
8 fat grams x 9 = 72 calories from fat.

Step Two:

To find the percentage of total calories from fat, divide fat calories by total calories.

72 / 150 = .46 x 100 = 46% calories from fat.

Although this exceeds the recommended 30%, you can still reduce your total fat intake with lower-fat foods:

Food/Amount          Fat Calories     Total Calories

                              1 serving crackers                70                      150

                                   1 raw apple                       0                       60

                                1 cup skim milk                    0                       80

                                     TOTALS                       70                     290

Now do the math:

70 / 290 = .24 x 100 = 24% calories from fat

By balancing higher-fat choices with low-fat foods, you can meet your fat calorie goals.

by Lynn Grieger, R.D., C.D., C.D.E.
ivillage.com