Clearing the Confusion about Fats

No one will blame you in staying away from fatty food; in fact many will applaud you. However, there seems to be some misguided information circulating about our association with the word “fat” and “healthy lifestyle.” Many preached on and on about how fat is the prime suspect in messing up our vital stats – particularly those waists. Oh, but that’s not true.

Okay, let’s start our crash course about fat by stating that, “Fats have two kinds – the good one and the bad.” Now that’s cleared up, we can now finally say:

1.) Not all fats are bad for you. (We’ll see later what are those)
2.) A fat-free life doesn’t equate to healthy life. (That’s a myth busted there.)
3.) Low-fat diet equal weight loss. (No, not necessarily.)

The two kinds of fat

Ladies and gentlemen, more than cutting back on your daily fat in-takes is choosing what kind of fat you consume in your diet. While it is true that bad fats increase your risk in acquiring certain diseases – particularly cardiovascular ailments – there are also the good kind that supports your over-all health. So, who are the good guys and who are the bad ones?

Good fats

Good fats include the polyunsaturated and the saturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats can be found in foods such as: soybean oil, corn oil, Safflower oil, walnuts, sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, and sardines), soy milk, and tofu.

Monosaturated fats on the, however, can be found in foods such as: olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, avocados, olives, nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews), and peanut butter.

Bad fats

On the flip side, here are the bad fats that you should stay away or cut back on consumption: 

Saturated fats are one of the bad guys. Here’s the list of them:high-fat cuts of meat (beef, lamb, pork), chicken with the skin, whole-fat dairy products (milk and cream), butter, cheese, ice cream, palm and coconut oil, and lard.

Trans fat is another “bad fat,” so here’s another list you should be wary of: Commercially-baked pastries, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pizza dough, packaged snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn, chips), stick margarine, vegetable shortening, fried foods (French fries, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, breaded fish), candy bars and hydrogenated oils.

(So, make sure to always check the nutritional products you’ll consume before buying them.)

How much is too much?

It all depends on your current state of health and age, but here’s a USDA recommended intake of fats

• 20-35 percent of calories
• Trans fat should be limited to one percent of calories
• Saturated fats should be limited to ten percent of calories

Bad fats substitute

If you can’t help consuming bad fats due to the kind of food you’re eating, you can substitute their ingredient into a healthier choice.

Here’s some of the most used ingredient bad fat and their healthier option.

• Butter – Olive oil
• Cheese – Low-fat or reduced-fat cheese
• Red meat – White meat chicken or turkey
• Cream – Low-fat milk or fat-free creamer
• Eggs – Egg whites, an egg substitute or tofu
• Ice cream – Frozen yogurt or reduced fat ice cream
• Whole milk – Skim or 1% milk
• Sour cream – Plain, non-fat yogurt

Be sure to remember to consume your healthy fat such as omega-3; as they are also one of the keys in achieving a healthy lifestyle from physical to mental health.

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