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Health Food and Vitamins: Getting The Skinny On Fats
Author: Deborah Prosser
Article:
Nearly everyone is concerned about too much fat in his or her
diet. We are constantly hearing about the link between fat and
heart disease and other life threatening diseases such as
diabetes. But how much do we really know about fats and the
effects of fat on our health. Did you know that you actually
need fat to metabolize fat? This is why low-fat diets do not
always result in weight loss. Therefore, should we add fat when
we are preparing healthy meals or leave fat out? It all depends
on the type of fat and how we use it. We need our meals to be a
good source of health food and vitamins. Here is the skinny on
fats and what you need to know when preparing healthy dinner
recipes.
There are three basic types of fat: saturated, unsaturated and
trans fats. Generally, we should get about 20-30% of our daily
calories from fat and only 10% of that should come from
saturated fats.
Saturated fats come from animal or diary products and are
the least healthy choices to include in your diet. The reason
for this is they increase the levels of triglycerides in your
bloodstream, which is what causes blockage in the arteries over
time. The general rule to remember is the redder the meat the
higher the saturated fat content will be, hence the higher the
triglycerides in the bloodstream. When eating beef or pork be
sure to choose the leanest cuts and remove any visible fat
before cooking. It's always best to include more chicken, with
the skin removed and fish in your diet because these are lower
in fat. When buying yogurt, or other dairy products choose 1% or
2% fat or those made with skim milk.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats come from
certain nuts, fish and oils such as olive, canola and flaxseed
oil. These fats are known to actually reduce triglycerides by
producing good cholesterol referred to as HDL. Polyunsaturated
oils are also found in beans and soy products. These are
important health foods for vitamins and nutrients because they
contain omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. These oils
are important for maintaining healthy blood and helping to
prevent the development of plaque. The best oil products to use
when serving salads is a first cold pressed virgin olive oil
because it contains the freshest of nutrients. Regular olive oil
(not cold pressed) can be used when cooking at heats less than
600 degree F. Other alternative choices when baking or frying
are shortening or vegetable oils.
Trans fats (or hydrogenated) are the worst fats of all
because they increase triglyceride levels and hence bad
cholesterol (LDL). Trans fats are commonly found in commercially
produced foods and vegetable oils, hydrogenated margarines and
spreads. Products are now being developed and easier to find
with No Trans Fats written on the packaging. Try and reduce the
amount of processed foods in your diet and you'll avoid most of
this type of harmful fat.
A health food diet will always include the essential vitamins
and nutrients. At your next dinner start out with a fresh salad
using an olive oil based dressing. Then a serving of fish,
chicken or lean red meat along with some whole grain breads or
pastas and steamed vegetables. Finish up your meal with a light
dairy product or low-fat ice cream or yogurt topped with fresh
fruit. Remember, we need fat to metabolize fat and by choosing
the good fats in olive oils, fish, chicken and nuts we can help
our bodies slim down and prevent diseases all at the same time.
About the author:
Deborah is a fitness enthusiast, internet publisher and
co-author of sports training books. Her website Get In Shape focuses
on health and fitness for women and is part of the Ipcor Publishing Network. You
can find more information about healthy food choices on her
webpage Health Foods and Vitamins at
http://www.getinshape.ipcor.com/Health
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