Dietary Fat

The basic facts about fat:

·         The American diet is high in fat.

·         Fat is high in calories – higher than the same amount of protein or carbohydrate per gram.

·         Most of us need to cut down on the total amount of fat we eat in our diet.

·         Only 20 – 35% of the total calories consumed in a day should come from fat.

·         A diet high in fat can contribute to high cholesterol, clogged arteries and being overweight (which may lead to type 2 diabetes and its associated health problems).

·         Not all fats are created equal.  Some types of fat are more damaging to our health than others.

  Excess fat is stored in the liver.  When more fat is consumed than can be stored, fats are left floating in the blood stream and are available to be laid down in arteries and around the organs.   Fats laid down in arteries narrow the width of the artery opening.  As arteries narrow, they are subject to blockage from blood clots and cholesterol.  When an artery is completely blocked, the tissue that depends on it for blood supply dies from a lack of oxygen.  This is what happens in the average heart attack.

  The bottom line on fat:  seek to limit fat intake from oils, spreads, sauces, desserts and greasy snack foods.  Avoid anything containing trans-fat, partially hydrogenated oils or hydrogenated oils.  Choose leaner cuts of meat, fish and lower fat dairy products.  Processed foods that have a long shelf life often contain the “bad fats”, including many crackers, cookies and chips.  Fat cannot and should not be totally eliminated from the diet, but try to choose the better kinds of fat when selecting foods to eat.  For example, olive and canola oil are better choices than butter.  The fat in an avocado is better for you than the fat from a piece of bacon. 

  The best way to manage fat in the diet is to learn which foods contain high levels of fat so that you can avoid or minimize them.  One way to obtain this information is by reading food labels.  In general, look for these kinds of words when reading a label:

Bad fats: 

                animal fats (eat minimally)

                palm oils (eat minimally)

                saturated fats (eat minimally)

                hydrogenated oils (avoid entirely)

                trans-fats (avoid entirely)

                partially hydrogenated oils (avoid entirely)

                cholesterol (eat minimally)

Better fats:

                mono-saturated fats

                poly-unsaturated fats

                fish oils rich in omega-3