Feeling Fat?

Remember the trendy low-fat diet that came around in the 90's and hasn't fully disappeared from our grocery aisles yet? We still see lots of low- or no-fat food items that once had fat in them but got processed out in order to look more appealing to the customer who is watching his or her weight. The thing we must remember about fat is that IT IS GOOD FOR OUR BODIES. We need 25-35% of our total daily calories to be from fat in order to synthesize certain enzymes and essential fatty acids that keep us healthy and functioning properly. The important thing to know about fats is that they are not all the same, and they are not all good for us. Here is some general information about fats:

Unsaturated fats- Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are associated with lowering LDL cholesterol (the bad kind of cholesterol). Our bodies love these fats!! Examples of monounsaturated fats: olive oil, peanut butter, avocados. Examples of polyunsaturated fats: salmon, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils.

Saturated fats- These fats are associated with raising LDL cholesterol and can cause any number of health problems if consumed in higher-than-recommended amounts. Examples of saturated fats: fatty red meats, bacon, butter, tropical oils such as coconut oil and palm oil.

Trans fats- These do not actually occur naturally. We humans have engineered this new fat within processed foods in order to increase the food's shelf life. Trans fats are CLOSELY related with health problems and raising bad cholesterol. It is best to avoid these fats altogether, but this is hard in a country full of commerically packaged goodies (doughnuts, crackers, cookies to name a few) and fast food french fries. Anything containing "partially hydrogenated oils" in the ingredient list contains trans fats. **BE AWARE: if a product contains less than .5 grams of trans fat, the package can still say "contains 0 trans fats". Be sure to check the ingredient list before you believe the package.

A tip for cooking with fats- if the fat you're using to cook with is liquid at room temperature (ie olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil), it is typically unsaturated fat. If you're using butter, bacon grease, or margarine, these are solid at room temperature (saturated fats) and thus will solidify after you've consumed them in your arteries. This can cause potential artery blockages if you consume these types of fats often.

So, choosing fats wisely will help keep you at a healthy weight, a healthy cholesterol level, and keep your heart healthy.

Some of my favorite fatty snacks:
Avocado toast: Toast a couple slices of whole-wheat bread and spread with ripe avocado!
Oatmeal: Microwave some rolled oats and douse it in olive oil, along with your favorite savory spices.
Salmon: Pan-fried salmon sprayed with lemon juice and cayenne pepper.
Trail mix: Almonds and cashews mixed with dried cherries and dried figs.