What is Fat

Fat is a nutrient. It is critical for normal body function and without it we could not live. Not only does fat supply us with energy, it also makes it possible for other nutrients to do their jobs.

Fats, which consist of a large group of compounds, are usually dissolvable in organic solvents and

At room temperature fats may be present in either liquid or solid form, this depends on their structure and structure. We tend to refer to fats, which are liquid at room temperature as oils. Fats, which are solid at room temperature, are generally referred to as fats. The word lipids refer to both solid and liquid forms of fat. Below is a reminder breakdown of their meanings:

insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are usually known as triesters of glycerol and fatty acids (triester = one of 3 ester chemical groups).

• Oils - Any fat, which exists in liquid form at room temperature. Oils are also any substances that do not mix with water and have a greasy feel.

• Fats - All types. However, fats are commonly referred to as those, which are solid at room temperature.

• Lipids - All types of fats, regardless of whether they are liquid or solid.

Lipids are an important part of the diet of all humans and many types of animals.

Examples of Fats

1. Animal fats
   Butter, lard, cream, fat in (and on) meats.

2. Vegetable fats
   Olive oil, peanut oil, flax seed oil, corn oil.

Different categories of fats

1. Saturated fat
   Saturated fats are totally saturated, each molecule of fat is covered in hydrogen atoms. Nutritionists say saturated fats increase health risks if you consume too much over a long period of time. A large intake of saturated fats will eventually raise cholesterol levels, which can lead to cardiovascular disease and possibly stroke.
   
   Where is saturated fat found?
   The largest amounts of saturated fats can be found in meat (mammals), meat products, and the skin of poultry, dairy products, and many processed foods such as cakes, biscuits, pastries and crisps, as well as coconut oil.

2. Monounsaturated fat
   Monounsaturated fat molecules are not saturated with hydrogen atoms - each fat molecule has only the space for one hydrogen atom. Health experts say the impact on health of monounsaturated fats is neutral - they are neither good nor bad for you. Many health professionals, however, do say that they reduce a person's risk of developing heart disease. The Mediterranean diet is full of monounsaturated fats.

Where are monounsaturated fats found?

Olives, ground nut oil, and avocados.

3. Polyunsaturated fat
   There are a number of spaces around each polyunsaturated fat molecule - they are not saturated with hydrogen atoms. Nutritionists say polyunsaturated fat is good for our health, especially those from fish, known as the Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect us from heart disease as they lower blood cholesterol levels. Health care professionals say Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may also help reduce the symptoms experienced by people who suffer from arthritis, joint problems in general, and some skin diseases.
   
   Where are polyunsaturated fats found?
   Oily fish (sardines, mackerel, trout, salmon and herring), safflower oil, grapeseed oil, and sunflower oil.

4. Trans fat
   Trans fats are synthetically made, they do not naturally occur. Trans fats are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. They are also known as partially hydrogenated oils.
   
   Trans fats might be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, they are never saturated. A trans fat is a type of unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acid(s). Therefore, trans fats have fewer hydrogen atoms than saturated fats.
   
   Trans fats are not essential for human life and they most certainly do not promote good health. Consuming trans fats increases your LDL cholesterol level (bad cholesterol) and lowers levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), which in turn raises your risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke.
   
   Experts say that trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are worse for your health than naturally occurring oils.
   
   Trans fats have become popular because food companies find them easy to use and cheap to produce. They also last a long time and can give food a nice taste. As trans fats can be used many times in commercial friers they are commonly used in fast food outlets and restaurants. Several cities around the world are trying to stop outlets from using trans fats.
   
   Where are trans fats commonly found?
• Fried foods, such as French fries
• Doughnuts
• Pies, pastries, biscuits, pizza dough, cookies, crackers, stick margarines, shortenings, and many other baked foods

If the nutritional labelling includes partially hydrogenated oils, it means that food has trans fats. The American Heart Association says your consumption of trans fats should not exceed 1% of your total calorie intake.

The Atkins diet says that saturated fat is overrated as a bad fat. The Atkins diet adds that trans fats are much more important in developing vascular disease.

How much fat should I eat?

According to the Dietary Guidelines for American 2005, the following percentages are recommended:

• Children aged 2 to 3 - total fat limited to 30%-35% of total calorie intake

• Children aged 4 to 18 - total fat limited to 25%-35% of total calorie intake

• Adults aged 19 and older - total fat limited to 20%-35% of total calorie intake

Dr. Barry Sears, who created the Zone Diet, says an average adult should consume 30% fat, 30% protein and 40% carbohydrate - he stresses that the types of fats are important, favoring the omega-3 oils and vegetable oils.

Over the last 50 years the percentage of people in most countries who are overweight has increased significantly. This is due to many factors, but NOT because people's fat intake has increased. Over the last five decades the consumption of carbohydrates as a percentage of total calorie consumption has increased dramatically - not fat consumption. Fat consumption does not make your body produce more insulin; carbohydrates do that. The more insulin your produce the more energy your body will store away as fat. When deciding how much fat to consume, remember that the answer is not simple - there are many types of fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

Read More

The elusive advantages of under eating

  In the early 1990s, the National Institutes of Health set up to investigate a few crucial issues of Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a collection of studies that would cost in the neighbourhood of a billion dollars. Among the questions that the researchers hoped to answer was even if low-fat diets actually prevent heart disease or cancer, at least in women. So they enrolled nearly 50 000 women in a trial, chose 20 000 at random, and instructed them to eat a low-fat diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber. These women were given regular counselling to motivate them to stay on the diet.

women’s health. The result was the

    One of the effects of this counseling, or maybe of the diet itself, is that the women also decided, consciously or unconsciously, to eat less. According to the WHI researchers, the women, on average, consumed 360 calories a day less on their diets than they did when they first agreed to participate. If we believe that overeating causes obesity, we might say that these women were “under eating” by 360 calories a day. They were eating almost 20% fewer calories than what public-health agencies tell us such women should be eating.

     The result? After 8 years of such under eating, these women lost an average of 2 pounds each. And their average waist circumference–a measure of abdominal fat–increased. This suggests that whatever weight these women lost, if they did was not fat but lean tissue–muscle.

   This wasn’t the only disappointing result in the study. The WHI investigators also reported that the low–fat diet failed to prevent heart disease, cancer, or anything else.

    This calculation is oversimplified to make a point. If it is corrected for the observation that subjects who lose weight in diets expend less energy as they do it, then the amount of weight loss expected with this energy deficit should be less” approximately 1.6 pounds at 3 weeks and 22 pounds at 1 year. I owe this correction to Kevin Hall, a Biophysicist at NIH, who points out that the corrected numbers are “still a far cry from the observed value!”

    Although Stunkard’s analysis has widely been perceived as a condemnation of all methods of dietary treatment of obesity, the studies he reviewed included only calories-restricted diets.

   I don’t count the WHI low-fat diet trial, because that was aimed at preventing heart disease and cancer, not losing weight.

Read More

Low-Carb Label

Start by checking the nutrition facts.

·      Look at serving size, total carbohydrate, and fiber.

·      Use total carbohydrate content only.

·      You may subtract fiber from total carbohydrate to get the -effective or net carb count-. For example, if there are 7 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber, the difference yields 4 grams of effective carbohydrates. That means the effective carbohydrate count is 4 grams per serving.

·      No need to worry–at this point–about calories or fat.

·      Effective carbohydrate count of vegetables should be 5 grams or less.

·      Effective carbohydrate count of meat or condiments should be 1 gram or less.

·      Also check the ingredient list. Avoid foods that have any form of sugar or starch listed in the first 5 ingredients.

Sugar by any other name is still sugar!

All of these are forms of sugar: sucrose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, glucose, honey, agave syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, brown-rice syrup, molasses, evaporated cane juice, cane juice, fruit-juice concentrate, corn sweetener.

Read More

Low-Carb Menu Planning

What does a low-carbohydrate menu look like? Now you can plan your daily menu by using the following as a guide:

Breakfast

Meat or other protein source usually eggs

Fat source–This may already be in your protein, for example, bacon and eggs        have fat in them. But

if your protein source is “lean”, add some fat in the form of butter, cream in coffee, or cheese.

Low-carbohydrate vegetable (if desired) this can be in an omelet or a breakfast quiche.

Lunch

Meat or other protein source

Fat source–If your protein is “lean,” add some fat, in the form of butter, salad dressing, cheese, cream, or avocado.

1 to 1½ cups of salad greens or cooked greens

½ to 1 cup of vegetables

 

Snack

Low-carbohydrate snack that has protein and/ or fat

Dinner

Meat or other protein source

 

Ft source–if your protein is “lean,” add some fat in the form of butter, salad dressing, cheese, cream, or avocado.

1 to 1½ cups of salad greens or cooked greens

½ to 1 cup of vegetables

A sample day may look like this:

Breakfast

Bacon or sausage

Eggs

Lunch

Grilled chicken on top of salad greens and other vegetables, with bacon, chopped eggs, and salad dressing

Snack

Pepperoni slices and a cheese stick

Dinner

Burger patty or steak

Green salad with other acceptable vegetables and dressing Green beans with butter

Read More