Fwd: Dietary Fat

[Guest guest]

Some good info.

Gena

> Dietary Fat

>

> How much  do we actually need?

>

> According to the World Health Organization (WHO) we should restrict

> our dietary fat intake to 30% of our calories. Heart Associations

> suggest 20-30%, while some experts believe that we may actually need

> as little as 10% of our calories in the form of fat.

>

> However, fat quantity is not just the only issue: type of fat is also

> important. Certain types of fats (e.g. omega 3 fats) from wholefoods

> like nuts, seeds and oily fish, is now viewed as essential to a

> healthy diet.

>

> 1. Mono-unsaturated fat is considered to be the healthiest type of

> general fat. It is found mainly in olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts and

> seeds It is believed to lower cholesterol and may assist in reducing

> heart disease.

>

> 2. Polyunsaturated fat is found in vegetable oils like soyabean,

> corn, sunflower and safflower. They also occur in oily fish.

> Polyunsaturated fats remain liquid at room temperature. The good

> news: polyunsaturated fat provides essential fatty acids for healthy

> skin and the development of body cells. The less good news:

> polyunsaturates which are rich in omega-6 essential fatty acids are

> now considered to be a slight health risk. Instead, for optimum

> health, choose polyunsaturates that are rich in omega-3 EFAs. These

> include: flax oil, hemp oil, pumpkin seeds, walnuts or oily fish.

>

> 3. Saturated fat is the least healthy of all fats/lipids. Common

> sources of saturated fat include animal fats, cheese, butter, lard,

> red meat, cream and milk. Certain vegetable oils, like coconut and

> palm oil are also high in saturated fat. Saturated fat is solid at

> room temperature. It's worth remembering that the body can

> manufacture its own saturated fat so you don't actually need to

> include any saturated fat in your diet. Saturated fat is linked to

> higher levels of cholesterol, heart disease, strokes and breast

> cancer. For the sake of your health and weight it is best avoided.

>

> 4. Trans-fats should be avoided entirely, if possible! These are

> mainly contained in solid or semi-solid margarines, as well as

> commercial cooking oils that are used to produce many processed foods

> (cookies, crackers, granola bars, etc.). Liquid oils go through a

> process called hydrogenation, whereby each molocule of oil has

> several hydrogen atoms added to it. This makes the oil solid and less

> likely to become rancid. Unfortunately, the trans-fats that are

> created by this process are very bad for our health because they

> raise bad (LDL & VLDL's) cholesterol levels while lowering good (HDL)

> cholesterol levels. The only way to avoid trans-fats is to study food

> labels carefully and avoid foods that include " hydrogenated fat "

> and " partially hydrogenated fat " .

>

> Concerning weight loss, however, there is no difference between mono-

> unsaturated, polyunsaturated fat and saturated fat. Because ALL fat

> is high in calories. It contains 120 calories per tablespoon.

>

> If you want to lose weight, a reasonable daily fat target is 30

> grams, of which no more than 10 grams should be saturated fat. If you

> have high cholesterol, you should reduce your fat intake even further

> and reduce your saturated fat to an absolute minimum.

>

> Warning! Low fat doesn't necessarily mean low-calorie. Many low-fat

> products contain extra sugar, so please check labels and when

> possible choose low-fat and low-sugar.

>

> Q. Which cooking oil is best for weight loss?

> When it comes to weight control and weight loss, all cooking oil is

> the same because it contains the same amount of calories - approx.

> 120 calories/tbsp. So if you want to reduce your fat intake and lose

> weight, choose a FAT SPRAY. This produces 1 calorie, per spray.

> Remember: successful weight loss is all about changing your ordinary

> daily eating habits.

>

>

> Stacie

>

>

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