Nutrition labels list fat content, but what are they – and are they ALL bad ?

Which ones do you eat ? And how much ? Here are some facts that may surprise you.

• Fats are nutrients that give you energy.
• Fats help your body absorb vitamins such as A, D, E & K.

Saturated fat (SF) is solid at room temperature, and is mostly in animal products like cheese, meat and milk. It is also found in tropical oils, like Palm and Coconut oils.

• SF raises your low density lipoproteins (LDL) and cholesterol levels; increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes.

Trans Fat (TF) is altered by a process called hydrogenation, making the fat harder and increasing it’s shelf life. (Chips, crackers, cookies and processed foods all contain TF)

Unsaturated fat (UF) is liquid at room temperature, and is mostly plant or fish based.

Monounsaturated fat (MF) is in nuts, avocados, and oils such as canola, olive, and peanut oil.

Polyunsaturated fat (PF) is mainly in vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower, sesame, soybean and corn. It is also the main fat that is found in seafood.

• Omega 3 fatty acids – found in food from plants, including flaxseed and walnuts. It’s also found in fatty fish as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Salmon, anchovies, herring, sardines, oysters, trout and mackerel are all high in EPA & DHA.
• Omega 6 fatty acids – found mostly in liquid vegetable oils like soybean, safflower and corn.

Total fat – Even though food labels are not required to list mono and polyunsaturated fats, they are included, along with, saturated and trans fats – for total fats.

So, no. All fats are NOT created equal. SF and TF raise your cholesterol levels, and elevate your risk of disease, and therefore, should be kept to a minimum, if not avoided completely.

However, unsaturated fats, also referred to as essential fatty acids, are beneficial to your health and are required to keep you alive, and your body functioning properly. So consuming the right kinds of fat, in appropriate amounts for your body is not only good for your health…but necessary.

Research shows that it is instrumental in :

• protecting vital organs
• building muscle
• temperature regulation
• preventing disease
• losing weight

and should equal 20-30% of your daily intake of calories. So how much is right for you?

EXAMPLE: My ideal caloric intake is 1600. Staying on the low end of the percentage suggested (since I’m looking to shred), I’ll use 20%.

20% of 1600 is 320. 1g of fat contains 9 calories, so I divide 320 by 9 and get 35. I should consume 35g of fat per day.

YOUR TURN:

Ideal calories per day ____ x  20% = _____ Divide by 9 =_____ Total grams fat per day.

Check out this meta-analysis evaluating 21 studies on the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease

http://m.ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535.long?view=long&pmid=20071648

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