Karol Lahrman
My fitness venture...
If your family was anything like mine, we didnt discuss healthy or fitness we just made sure there was a dersert after the meal. We had health education but they never coverd how to read a food lable or fitness, so this is something I am not totally knowledged about these things and have had to do some research on my own, there are people in my life who know about it, teach it and some its their job and at times they talk Greek to me, so for me to know more about food and lables I ventured to the global world and found this artcle by Jaquelyn Matoian and thought I would pass along how the fat game works, but the bottom line is eat more fruits and vegetables daily, limit your intake of red meat to once a week, consume fish and other lean meats 2 to 3 times a week, use olive oil (or another poly or monounsaturated oil) for cooking, reduce your intake of processed foods and baked goods, avoid fast food, and consume fat free or 1% dairy products.
Not All Fat Is Created Equal,"
Fat is an essential part of our diet, necessary for everyday functioning. Fat helps provide us with energy, supports cell growth, and protects our internal organs. Unfortunately, most of us consume too much fat, and not enough of the “heart-healthy” fat.
There are actually four types of fat found in the foods we eat, each with different chemical structures and physical properties. These include polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, saturated, and trans-fat. With the help of the American Heart Association, let’s take a look at the run-down of each type of fat.
Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated Fat:
These are the two unsaturated fats, known as the “heart-healthy” fats because they may help lower your cholesterol when eaten in place of saturated fat. They are found mainly in fish, nuts, seeds, and oils from plants. Some examples of foods with these fats include salmon, trout, avocados, olives and olive oil, walnuts, and liquid vegetable oils (soybean, corn, safflower, canola, and sunflower).
Saturated Fat:
The main cause of high cholesterol, saturated fat is found mostly in animal products including, beef, pork, poultry, butter, cream, milk, cheese, and dairy products made with 2% and whole milk. Saturated fat can be found in some foods made from plants, like coconut and coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter.
Trans-fat:
This is fat that has gone through hydrogenation (a chemical process that adds a hydrogen atom to the fat molecule). It is the worst type of fat for us to consume! It not only raises cholesterol by increasing LDLs (the “bad” cholesterol), but it also lowers HDLs (the “good” cholesterol), increasing our risk for heart disease.
Trans-fat is found in many processed foods and baked goods. Use nutrition labels to help steer clear of foods with trans-fat. Even if something says “0 grams of trans-fat” on the front of the box or bag, that does not mean it is trans-fat free! Look at the ingredients section of the nutrition label and if you see the word “hydrogenated” anywhere on the package, my advice would be to put it back on the shelf.
Now that you know about the four types of fat, I’m sure you’re wondering how much fat you should be eating each day?
According to the American Heart Association, fat should make up about 25-35% of your total calorie consumption. However, eating the majority of fat from poly and monounsaturated fat sources is in the best interest of your heart and your health. Also, it is recommended to keep saturated fat intake below 7% and trans-fat intake below 1% of your daily caloric consumption.
Most of us are eating more fat than we should in our diet, especially saturated and trans-fat. Nutrition labels are a great resource to help you determine how much and what types of fat you are consuming each day.
Before looking at a nutrition label, keep in mind that 1 gram of fat (no matter which type) is equal to 9 calories. So as an example, if you should consume 2,000 calories on average each day, you would only want to be eating 500 – 600 calories from fat, or 55 to 66 grams of fat daily. Are you lost? Let’s break it down a little further…
1 gram fat = 9 calories
25% of a 2,000 calorie diet = 500 calories
35% of a 2,000 calorie diet = 600 calories
500 calories / 9 calories = 55.5 grams
600 calories / 9 calories = 66.6 grams
Nutrition labels will usually tell you how many grams of fat are in one serving of the food item you are about to eat. *** Pay close attention to how many servings are in the package of food because most of the time it is more than one. In addition, nutrition labels will break down fat content by type. Remember, your diet should only be 7% saturated fat. Let’s do the math based on a 2,000 calorie diet to determine how many grams of saturated fat you should consume each day.
7% of a 2,000 calorie diet = 140 calories
140 calories / 9 calories = 15.5 grams
If this doesn’t seem like a lot of saturated fat, it’s because it’s not. Chances are you are eating more than you should be.
Try keeping a nutrition log for one week to record how much and what types of fat you are consuming in your diet. Use nutrition labels and evaluate your results after one week. It is important to know how much fat you are consuming so you can begin to reduce your intake and eat more “heart-healthy” fats if necessary.
Information Provided By: americanheart.org.
