What are healthy fats?

Fat – we need fat in our diets.  So many people focus on cutting carbs but rarely do people focus on cutting the fat in their diets or changing their diet to include healthier fats.  And there are healthy fats we should be sure we have in our diets.  So, what are the fats we should be cutting back on and what are the healthy fats we should be choosing?  And where do we go to get advice on what fats we should be putting in our diets?  

What are the fats we should cut back on, the bad fats?
Saturated fats are the fats the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends we cut back on.  Why?  Because it is the saturated fats that raise your cholesterol, especially raising the bad cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol.  As the AHA notes, “high levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.”  
Foods with saturated fat
Not easy to meet their recommendation though on how much saturated fat you should aim for as only 5-6% of your calories should be from saturated fat.  Thus, if you eat 2000 calories a day, the calories from saturated fat should only be about 100-120 calories.  As AHA notes for a 2000 calorie diet, that is only 13 grams of saturated fat a day.  Try eating at a Fast Food restaurant for lunch and try to stick to 13 grams of saturated fat at a meal let alone for the entire day.  Hard to do.  I doubt if I could limit my saturated fat to only 13 grams a day, but we do try to cut back on it.  

What are saturated fats?
These are the fats that are usually solid at room temperature.  The bacon fat that hardens at room temperature is one example.  The marbling of fat you see in steak.  Butter is solid at room temperature, the Crisco.  But also, there is saturated fat in whole milk and in whole milk cheese.  AHA lists a number of foods with saturated fat:
  • Fatty beef
  • Lamb
  • Pork
  • Poultry with skin
  • Beef fat
  • Lard and cream
  • Butter
  • Cheese
  • Other dairy products made with whole milk
  • Fried foods
  • Palm oil, coconut oil  (Yes, coconut oil is not a heart healthy choice). 
How can you cut back on saturated fat?
AHA recommends choosing lean cuts of beef.  Trim the fat from the pork chop.  Choose lean ground beef.  You want dairy in your diet but choose low-fat dairy.  If you are used to drinking whole milk, try 2% milk.  Look for yogurt that is low fat.  Choose cheese that is made with 2% or skim milk for a cheese lower in fat and lower in saturated fat.  

What are the healthy fats you should be adding to your diet? 
Replacing saturated fats with more unsaturated fats is a heart healthy thing to do.  Why?  Because unsaturated fats help lower your bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) and triglycerides.   
AHA recommends four healthy fats you can choose. 
  1. Fish – fish is loaded with the healthy omega-3 fats which are good for heart health.   Some fish are higher in omega-3 fats than other fish.  Choose salmon, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna. 
  2. Nuts – Dr. Oz recommends a handful of nuts a day.  A heart healthy habit.  Why?  Because nuts provide a heart healthy fat along with many nutrients such as protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber.  Mix it up.  Choose peanuts, or almonds or pistachios.  I like to sprinkle ground walnuts on my oatmeal.  Enjoy a peanut butter sandwich at lunch or a nut butter sandwich.
  3. Seeds – a lot of people into health and fitness add seeds to their day.  Flaxseeds in their smoothies.  Add some pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.  Choose a whole grain bread with the seeds added, like Dave’s Bread.
  4. Avocado – enjoy that guacamole as it is heart healthy.  Avocados do have fat but it is a heart healthy fat.
Avocados have a heart healthy fat

What cooking oil should you buy? You want an oil that has a lot of unsaturated fat in it.  Good choices are Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Peanut Oil, Safflower Oil, Sunflower oil.  When buying prepared food look for these heart healthy oils in the ingredients.  It is always interesting to me how manufacturers will say a food is low-fat but the fat they add is palm oil or palm kernel oil which are not healthy fats.  But other manufacturers like Lay’s using heart healthy oils in their chips such as Sun Chips.Next time you are in the grocery store, choose some heart healthy cooking oils.  AHA provides a good alphabetical list of “better-for-you” cooking oils.  Take a picture of this list or copy the list into the “notes” on your cell phone to make it easier to choose heart-healthy oils. 
    • Canola
    • Corn
    • Olive
    • Peanut
    • Safflower
    • Soybean
    • Sunflower
Choosing a cooking spray like Pam?  Choose one made from this list of oils.  
Where to go for guidance on healthy fats and not so healthy fats.
Looking for more information on how to choose healthy fats?  One of the best sources for reliable information is the American Heart Association.  They provide great guidance such as 4 Ways to Get Good Fats and Healthy Cooking Oils . 

This week try to cut back on the saturated fat.  Going out to a Fast Food restaurant?  Look at the menu ahead of time and look at the nutritional information on the website.  Look at the saturated fat content of the food you wanted to order.  Is there another menu item with less saturated fat?  Order the grilled version of the sandwich instead of fried.  Going out to dinner?  Many restaurants have the nutritional information posted.  Look for menu items with less saturated fat.  But some heart healthy oil for your pantry.

Sources:  AHA, four healthy fats, alphabetical list  Image sources: Saturated fat foods, Canola oil,  avocado

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