Adding More Healthy Fats and Fish
Consuming fat is not bad in and of itself; unsaturated vegetable fats promote health, while saturated and trans fats undermine your health. Unsaturated fats (monos and polys) are found in plant-based products such as most vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. The one nonplant source of these good fats is deep-water or fatty fish, which are a rich source of polyunsaturated fat. All of these healthy fats play an important role in a nutritious diet.
Fish that come from cold, deep water such as salmon are the best source of healthy fats from fish. The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish at least twice a week. More recent information, however, about high mercury levels in fish and high carcinogen levels in farmed fish have caused concern, so be careful about the fish you buy. Wild fish are often safer to eat than farmed fish.
It's easy to make the switch to whole-grain bread and brown rice, but what about pasta? If you're a macaroni lover who's loath to give it up, take heart. Many pasta companies are producing whole-grain varieties that include wheat bran, wheat germ, oats, barley, lentils, chickpeas, and flaxseed, making them great sources of fiber, protein, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
For good health and weight management, the key is not to eliminate fat, but rather to be selective regarding what
Cook with unsaturated liquid vegetable oils such as olive, canola, or safflower oil.
Buy tub or liquid margarines with an unsaturated vegetable oil, such as soybean oil, as the first ingredient.
Sprinkle a few nuts or sesame seeds into your morning cereal.
Spread natural peanut butter on celery sticks, apples, or green peppers for a healthy snack.
Dip bread in limited amounts of olive oil instead of spreading it with butter.
Polyunsaturated fats are oils that remain liquid regardless of temperature. Corn, safflower, sunflower, sesame, cottonseed, and soybean oils are all polyunsaturated fats. Deep-water fish also contain polyunsaturated fat that is proven to improve heart health and provide other benefits.
Monounsaturated fats are oils that solidify at cold temperatures. Olive, canola, peanut, most other nuts, and avocado oils are all monounsaturated fats. Foods that contain monounsaturated fats include almonds, cashews, peanuts, and walnuts.
Trans unsaturated fatty acids, often referred to as trans fats, are more harmful to your health than saturated fats. Similar to saturated fats, a direct relationship exists between an increased intake of trans fats and an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Additionally, a direct relationship exists between increased consumption of trans-fats and a reduction in HDL (good) levels. Therefore, eating foods high in trans-fats does double damage by increasing your levels of bad cholesterol while simultaneously reducing your levels of good cholesterol.
Keep in mind that food manufacturers do not need to list trans fats if the total amount equals 0.5 grams per serving or less. This explains the labels you find that say “no trans fats” and at the same time list hydrogenated vegetable oil on their ingredient list.
Trans-fats are primarily found in commercially processed foods such as pies, doughnuts, cookies, chips, candy, pastries, shortening, and fried fast foods. Food manufacturers create trans fats through a process called hydrogenation that converts otherwise liquid oils into a more solid substance. This hydrogenation is useful to food manufacturers because it increases the shelf life of foods, adds form to otherwise liquid substances, and adds flavor. Studies, however, confirm that there is no level of consumption of trans fats that is considered to be safe to your health and well-being.
