Healthy Living for Every Body

FAT: TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT?

For some, “fat” is a bad word and is avoided at any cost.  For others, all food tastes better fried.  Neither extreme is healthful or recommended.  If it’s unwise to cut all fat from your diet, but living on french fries and chicken nuggets is equally unadvisable, where’s the happy medium?  Which fats should we limit and which ones should we include? 

Fats in your diet play an important role in the maintenance of your body.  For one, dietary fats transport important fat soluble vitamins.  It is also a concentrated source of energy which helps meet daily energy needs. Dietary fat makes foods taste better and helps you feel full after eating.  If you eat meals with very little fat in them, chances are your meals aren’t as satisfying and you get hungry again soon afterwards.

DOES EATING FAT MAKE ME FAT?

Eating fat doesn’t necessarily make you fat.  Weight gain is caused by eating more calories than you expend, whether those calories are from carbohydrates, protein, or fat.  In fact, cutting out fat from your diet can lead to eating even more, since you will lack a feeling of fullness and probably end up eating more calories in order to fill up.  Also, just because you eat the lower fat version of a certain food doesn’t necessarily mean you are eating substantially fewer calories. For instance, low fat peanut butter has only 20 fewer calories per serving than its full-fat counterpart.

Sometimes, when foods are processed in their low-fat version, fat is taken out, but other ingredients such as sugar are added (as is the case with peanut butter), making the calorie difference not as substantial as you may think. 

THE FAT CONFUSION

Trans fats, saturated fats, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fats…how to keep them all straight?  Research has shown us that all fats are not created equal.  A high blood cholesterol level leads to the hardening of the arteries, which contributes to heart disease.  Along with genetics, our diet, specifically which types of fat we eat, plays a role in cholesterol levels. Certain dietary fats can help decrease blood cholesterol level, while others can increase these levels.  Here is a breakdown of specific fats and whether or not they contribute to heart health:

WHAT ARE TRANS FATS, ANYWAY?

Trans fat has been the fat of choice for manufacturers of many commercially made foods.  They have been used because they don’t break down very quickly, giving foods a longer “shelf life.”  Trans fats are often listed on the food label as “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.”  They are used in processed baked goods, snack foods, frozen foods, fast food, and margarine spreads. 

Years ago, trans fats replaced saturated fats in these products when it was determined that saturated fats contributed to heart disease.  Now, trans fats have also been found to contribute to heart disease.  So, now food labels list the amount of trans fats on a product.  The downside to this is that some manufacturers are now going back to using saturated fats in their foods.  It’s not good for a diet to be high in saturated or trans fat.  Just because a product advertises that it’s “trans-fat free” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a healthful food choice.  After all, a Twinkie made without trans fat is still a Twinkie.   

GOOD RULE OF THUMB

Still get confused with which fats are better to eat?  Just remember this rule of thumb with fats:  the more liquid a fat is at room temperature, the more healthful.  Most products used with trans fats or saturated fats are more solid at room temperature, versus their heart healthy counterparts (poly and monounsaturated fats) which are more liquid at room temperature.  So, instead of using solid vegetable shortening, use liquid oils for cooking.  Instead of using butter (saturated fat) or stick margarine (made with trans fats), use the softer tub margarine instead (uses either less or no trans fats).  The fat on raw chicken is softer and contains less saturated fat, compared to the harder fat found on raw beef, so eat more chicken and less red meat. 

Also, when making food choices, it’s better to get the majority of calories from foods that have 30% or less of total calories from fat.  For example, a package of cheese and cracker has 200 calories, 90 of them from fat.  Fat accounts for 45% of the calories from this snack, making it a less-healthful snack option.    

WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE? 

Here are some guidelines to help guide you in making better fat choices:

• Decrease the amount of solid fats you’re using (margarine, butter, shortening) and use more liquid fats instead

• Limit how many store bought baked goods and crackers you eat

• Look for products which don’t use trans fats or saturated fats

• Aim to eat fish 2 times/week

• Eat more low-fat dairy and lean meats

• Be mindful of serving sizes for foods such as salad dressing, nuts, sandwich spreads, etc.

• Eat foods which are baked or broiled, versus fried

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• The Protein Factor
• Understanding Carbs