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NL Archive |
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Good Fat, Bad Fat By Patsy Flanigan
Question: We hear that we should get no more than 30 % of our calories from fat. Does this mean that it is unhealthy to eat any food that has more than 30% of its calories from fat?
Answer: The 30% number is part of the guidelines established but he National Institute of Health. It is a compromise between what is believed to be the current American diet of about 40% fat and a more ideal number of 20% fat. The rationale in presenting this number is that a change to less than 30% would be too for most people.
Do not be misled by advertising clams for reduced fat foods, or the idea that each food must have less than 30 percent of its calories from fat. What we are talking about is our total diet, not individual foods, and not the total calories from a single meal or even the whole day. The American Heart Association recommended that when analyzing a diet for balance, one should consider a whole week of foods.
This means it is OK to eat what you enjoy, as long as you do not overdo it, and you are getting the nutrients that you need in a balanced diet on a weekly basis. The key is to get enough of the fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. that you need first. Then, you find that you do not crave the “empty calories” foods as much.
So if you want a piece of cake once in a while, you just need to balance those calories with some good nutrients. Maybe you will choose to have a small piece of carrot cake with some healthy carrots, nuts and raisins built into your dessert, or if you must have a white cake with heavy butter-cream frosting occasionally, you know you will need to make up for that indulgence, not by starving yourself, but by eat the foods that balance the lack of nutrient in that excessive calorie binge.
It is interesting to note that you can eat a whole box of cookies, for instance, and still be hungry, because you body is seeking the nutrients that it needs. This is why some people eat and eat and are never satisfied. The resulting weight gain slows them down, they become depressed with food and the vicious cycle is perpetuated.
Just as important as the amount of fat that you eat, is the kind of fat. We have al heard that it is the saturated fat that is to be avoided. The easy way to recognize the good fat from the bad fat is to remember that most saturated fats from animals, meat, dairy, eggs, etc. The “good fats” on the whole, come from plant sources, olive, corn, sunflower oil, avocados, nuts, to name a few.
Yes, despite the media blitz, there are god fats. In fact you must have some fat in your diet. If you so not have any fat, your skin would dry up, your hair would fall out and you would not have a carrier for the fat soluble vitamins, such as A, E, D, and K, which are so important in the prevention of chronic diseases.
So have a happy Halloween knowing that you don’t have to give up the joy of good health if the scales don’t balance on that one day. |
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Reprinted – Los Angeles Independent Newspaper Group, Wednesday, October 16, 1996 |
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Nuts contain different kinds of fats. See how your favorites stack up: |
