Fats Thank Goodness For Them?
From healthful foods like veggies to guilty pleasures like dinner rolls, we are naturally inclined to prefer the taste of them when we add fat to them. Which would you rather eat — a salad with no dressing or a nice, creamy dollop of ranch on top? (I'd eat paper if it had enough blue cheese dressing on it!).It's just human nature to want to eat what tastes good and to make what tastes good even better.So … if adding a little dressing makes you more likely to eat that salad instead of a hamburger and fries … just do it! If your veggies go uneaten unless a little butter is applied … pat in moderation.
By switching between other forms of low- or non-fat flavoring methods and traditional toppings in small portions, you can continue to use them in moderation. If a little fat can go a long way in making a healthier diet more palatable to you, it's okay to give in every so often.
Again, moderation is almost always the key to successful weight management.It's the type of fat that matters in addition to how much you consume. Reducing your intake of some types of fats reduces the risk of several chronic diseases, but other types of fats are absolutely essential to our health and well-being.
Sifting through all the conflicting information on fats can leave you with even more questions. What do you need to know about polyunsaturated fat, omega 3 fatty acids and other terms in the language of fats? Learn to incorporate the good fats into your diet while reducing your consumption of the bad fats.
We should all be increasing our intake of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which we need for body functions like controlling blood clotting and building cell membranes in the brain. We're still learning about the many benefits of Omega-3, but research has shown this fatty acid can have a positive impact on:
* Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Epidemiologic and clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fatty acids reduce CVD incidence (American Heart Association), by:
o decreasing risk of arrhythmias, which can lead to sudden cardiac death
o decreasing triglyceride levels
o decreasing growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque
o lowering blood pressure (slightly)
* Liver cancer: omega-3 fatty acids may be an effective therapy for both the treatment and prevention of human liver cancers. (University of Pittsburg study)
* Depression: Omega-3 fatty acid DHA reduces symptoms of depression probably because it increases gray matter in the brain. (University of Pittsburg study)
* Dementia – Eating fatty fish, high in omega 3, lowers the likelihood of developing "silent" brain lesions that can cause memory loss and dementia (University of Kuopio in Finland)
How much fat is too much depends on your lifestyle, your weight, your age and most importantly the state of your health. The USDA recommends that the average individual:
* Keep total fat intake to 20-35% of calories
* Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of your calories (200 calories for a 2000 calorie diet)
* Limit trans fats to 1% of calories (2 grams per day for a 2000 cal diet)
* Limit cholesterol to 300 mg per day.
However, if you are concerned about cardiovascular disease, the American Heart Association suggests a similar plan, but limiting saturated fats to less than 7% of your calories (140 calories for a 2000 calorie diet). You can figure out your personal daily fat limitations based on your body type and age.
How do you go about implementing these recommendations? The simplest way to approach fats is to replace the saturated and trans fat in your diet with healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and to increase your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids. Use these percentages to your advantage by making sure the fat you do consume is healthy (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated).
About the Author: Born in Kingston Jamaica in the year 1965.Derrick has been involved in child nutrition since 1990.Started writing articles in 2005.The site http://www.yoursofit.com was conceived to serve the needs of persons interested in optimizing their health and wellness and want to find the best quality products and programs to employ. http://yoursofit.yolasite.com He is into herbal remedies and general health studies, and research.In his spare time he sells real estate.
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