Good Fats: Unsaturated – Mono and Poly

Some people still argue that we should avoid all fats. No! Fat is essential, necessary for nerve function, protecting the organs, essential for proper brain development and absolutely necessary for the transport and storage of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. So, a low or moderate fat diet, yes. A NO fat diet – no way!

Now it is important that we choose the correct types of fat. There are healthy fats and unhealthy fats.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans state:

Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.

Why such a range of 20-35 percent? It provides that people who choose the higher range follow a higher mono- and polyunsaturated fat diet with lower amounts of carbohydrates. However, some people follow a higher carbohydrate diet (athletes for example) and the 20 percent fat is appropriate and should still be high in mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.

Why mono- and poly-unsaturated fats?

Polyunsaturated fats have a positive effect on LDL-cholesterol by helping lower it.

Monounsaturated fats have positive effects on LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol by helping lower LDL and raising HDL.

Where can you find the unsaturated fats?

• Nuts: pecans, macadamias, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pinon/pine nuts, cashews, pistachios.
• Nut butters that go with the nuts above (i.e.: almond butter, peanut butter, etc.)
• Dominant in oils such as: Canola, olive, sesame, corn, safflower oils
• Seafood – such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and herring. Fresh or canned is good. Just don’t fry it.
• They are also found in avocadoes and olives.

These foods and oils are a blend of mono-, poly- and saturated fat, but the predominant fat(s) are the unsaturated fat. Remember that 1-ounce of the nuts contains between 160-200 calories and 1 tablespoon of oil is 120 calories. The avocado, while a fruit and good for you, can add up to 325 calories in a medium avocado.

These are the healthy fats – mono and poly. Make sure these dominate over the unhealthy fats. Unhealthy fats, saturated and trans-fats, next time

Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well – with 20-35% fat.

Dietary Fat – All Those Recommendations!

Over the years dietary fat has been the source of a myriad of messages and recommendations. From recommending consumption of a low-fat (before we knew there were different types of fat) to recommending a low saturated fat diet, to now no trans-fats.

As a nutrition expert it is my job to keep it straight, but I feel the pain of the general public: I too would want to throw up my arms and give up.

However, I will help distinguish the difference between the fats as we know them today and how much of each of them we should have as a portion of our calories.

First, the US Department of Health and Human Services and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) puts out the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every five years. They were last released in 2005 and will next be released in 2010. Here are the recommendations for fats from 2005.

FATS

• Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
• Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
• When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.
• Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.

Lots of recommendations I know, but over the next several weeks I'll cover each of the types of fats, where they can be found, and how much of each you should aim to get (or not have).

As you read about these fats and their respective recommendations, this keep this in mind: a long time ago people thought the earth was the center of the universe; then it was discovered that the earth rotated around the sun and that the sun was the center of the universe…now of course we know the earth and the sun are both microscopic in the spectrum of the universe and nowhere near the center of the universe.

The point is, with science like astronomy and nutrition, things change as we learn through research and experience. As we learn, we have the responsibility to change our recommendations in the best interest of our clients/patients/general public.

What I tell you in this blog is based on the most current information and research we have today.

Coming next – the healthiest fat: monounsaturated fat.

Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well - with a moderate amount of fat.

For Your Heart - Soy Protein

The final installment of my “American Hearth Month” theme for February I continue with heart disease issues on this and my other blog NewMexicoWellness.blogspot.com. Here continues the discussion of heart healthy foods.

Since 1999 the FDA approved a claim on foods containing 6.25 grams of soy protein be allowed to carry a claim on its label/packaging that is can lower the risk of heart disease when combined with a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

However, nutrition is a science. And like any science, we must evolve and as new evidence reveals itself, we need to revise information and be responsible and provide that information to the public.

Research regarding food, nutrition, and how it is beneficial, or not as beneficial as we once thought, to our health reveals itself and we must bring that information forward to the public.

About a year ago, the FDA began its open comment period regarding the claim of soy protein and coronary heart disease. The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association chose to respond based on reviewing scientific literature and the effects of soy protein and isoflavones on the many risk factors for heart disease including blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Based on the AHA information and review of research since 1999, research indicates that large amounts of soy protein needs to be consumed, and that more than half of our protein needs to come from soy, and it may have a positive effect on LDL-cholesterol by a few points only when it replaces animal protein. The data also reveals that this occurs mainly in individuals who already have high cholesterol, and only affects the LDL-cholesterol and does not affect HDL, triglycerides, or blood pressure.

In the end, the AHA recommended to the FDA, that the soy and heart disease health claim be reevaluated, especially since the current data is less conclusive than what is once was.

Many people tell me that people in China or Japan eats a lot of soy and suffer very little from heart disease. While this may be true, I don’t know statistics myself, I remind people that we in the United States cannot take bits and pieces of peoples diet and/or lifestyle from another country and apply it to ourselves. If we wish to do that, we need to go to the beginning of our life and start over – or embrace the entire lifestyle: walk to market, work in a field, take on the entire lifestyle and genetic history of the country we wish to emulate. It just doesn’t cross over to the U.S.

Bottom line on soy and heart health: it isn’t as great as we once thought it was a helping to lower LDL-cholesterol. You can continue to eat/drink your soy, but it may not be helping your heart as much.

Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well - and enjoy your soy.

For Your Heart - Plant Sterols/Stanols

The fourth installment of my “American Hearth Month” theme for February I continue with heart disease issues on this and my other blog NewMexicoWellness.blogspot.com. Here continues the discussion of heart healthy foods.

Plant sterols and stanols are forms of phytosterols. These are components in plants that are similar to cholesterol in animals in their form and function. Many people don’t realize that cholesterol found in animals, we make our own cholesterol in our liver, and not found in plants or foods that come from plants at all. (Peanut butter never had cholesterol since it comes from a plant!)

We get plant sterols and stanols in our diet primarily from plants (fruits, vegetables, beans, grains) and in some foods that have been fortified with them. But why do we care about plant sterols and stanols, and why are foods being fortified with them?

For over 50 years now, researchers have looked at the effects of plant sterols and stanols on our blood cholesterol, more specifically how it helps lower LDL-cholesterol (the one we want to be low).

We do consume plant sterols and stanols regularly, assuming that we are consuming plant foods…ahem… However, the amount needed to have a difference in our cholesterol levels is higher than what we can reasonably consume through diet.

So, innovations in food manufacturing in the past five to ten years have included plant sterols and stanols in foods such as margarine, salad dressing, yogurt, and orange juice. There are also dietary supplements that contain plant sterols to help lower cholesterol.

Even if you consume these foods with the plant sterols and stanols – generally need 1.3 grams/day of plant sterols or 3.4 grams/day of plant stanols – you still need to consume a low saturated fat diet and watch the dietary cholesterol. Just as when you are taking prescriptions to help lower cholesterol, it does not mean you can still eat an unhealthy diet.

So, eat a variety of plant foods, and if you have high cholesterol or want to keep it healthy, consider integrating additional plant sterols and stanols into your regular diet.

Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well - and toast to the plant sterols.

For Your Heart - Fish

Continuing with the “American Hearth Month” theme for February I continue with heart disease issues on this and my other blog NewMexicoWellness.blogspot.com. Here continues the discussion of heart healthy foods.

Fish is the next thing on the list of heart healthy foods. Now this list is in no particular order, but I tend to start with the oatmeal and nuts, since it is easier to start the day with those items. But because fish is the third item or food category I mention does not mean it isn’t more important than the next foods I mentions, or less important than the previous foods mentioned.

What makes fish so special?

Certain fish (and I’ll tell you soon which ones) contain omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats are good for us, and have particular benefit to those who are at risk for heart disease, regardless of where that risk comes from.

Fish is a great source of protein, but doesn’t contain a lot of the saturated fat that some of the other animal products can contain. It does contain fat though, but the good ones as already mentioned. Which can

Omega-3 fats are both eicosapentaenic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and have been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body.

This is what makes fish so special…

What fish is special?

Not all fish falls into the category of being high in omega-3’s and therefore being beneficial to you and your risk of heart disease. Fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, albacore tuna, anchovies, and lake trout are the ones you need to shoot for. The good news here is that if you come from a land locked area/state, like say, New Mexico, with the exception of the trout, these are are all the fish you can commonly find in a can!

Unhealthy Fish!

The fish that I tell people to avoid – fried fish. That lake trout is only going to be good for you if you grill, bake or broil it. If you bread and fry any fish in oil – even canola or olive oil, this just isn’t going to be a healthy option.

Also, there are mercury warnings for some classes of fish, so if you are eating fish more than twice a week, check the Environmental Defense Fund Website for a great chart on safe fish choices.

How much?

Adults without heart disease the recommendation is to eat a wide variety of fatty fish (the ones mentioned above) at least twice a week. One serving is 3-6 ounces.

Eat Well, Live Well, and Be Well – and enjoy

For Your Heart - Nuts

Continuing with the “American Hearth Month” theme for February I continue with heart disease issues on this and my other blog NewMexicoWellness.blogspot.com. Here continues the discussion of heart healthy foods.

Nuts tend to scare people off due to their high fat content. While nuts are high in fat (and in calories) the primary fat in most popular nuts is the healthy kind – unsaturated fat.

Unsaturated fats, the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, which have mostly positive benefits on your cholesterol (meaning lower LDL, and improved HDL) is a good thing.

What else is in nuts that are good for your heart? It is a plant, so it has fiber. A high fiber diet helps lower cholesterol and which reduces risk of heart disease. Nuts have vitamin E and selenium, which are antioxidants. Antioxidants can help prevent the aging of the arteries and keep them elastic as well as helping reduce the risk of blood clots.

And when referring to nuts, this includes walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans, pine nuts, hazelnuts (aka filberts) macadamias, and peanuts (even though it is technically a legume). You can also include seeds as well and get some health benefits from them, such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds.

Coconut is a nut, but is full of saturated fat, which is not good for your heart. It raises LDL cholesterol and can be truly unhealthy when consumed on a regular basis.

Now keep this in mind – when integrating nuts in your diet, make sure you are replacing them for something else in your diet and not adding them. One servings or one-ounce of nuts is about 180 calories (one small handful or about ¼ cup). So, if you started adding that every day without taking something away – could add 15-20 pounds over the course of a year! You have got to make sure you are adding them in after you take something out.

Oh yes, and if it is covered in chocolate or salt, it’s not so healthy for you, so go for the plain nuts! Save a chocolate covered nut for a special occasion and make sure it is dark chocolate too.

Eat Well, Live Well, and Be Well – with a handful of unsalted nuts.

For Your Heart - Oats

As January comes to a close I remind people to review the goals they set earlier this month and remember them as we roll into February, and the sweets begin to make a come-back: heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States.

Since 1963 congress has require the president to proclaim February as “American Heart Month.”

On both this and my other blog NewMexicoWellness.blogspot.com, I will be dedicating the rest of January and all of February to heart disease issues.

When I have patients/clients see me for high cholesterol, one of the many risk factors for heart disease, I often get the question: “does oatmeal really help lower cholesterol?”

Yes, it does, so here is what you need to know about oatmeal. It has soluble fiber in it, which helps lower your LDL cholesterol, the one you want to be low. It seems that soluble fiber helps lower the absorption of cholesterol.

Ideally we would be getting 10 grams of soluble fiber a day, and we would find it in not just oatmeal, but also oat bran, apples, pears, prune, and beans to name just a few sources. Fruits and vegetables in general are going to help you out - big surprise!

Your oatmeal would ideally be the cooked kind rather than the instant, but they both have soluble fiber in them. Adding some fruit would add more fiber. You could also have a cold cereal made from oats or oat bran, like Cheerios.

In 1997, the FDA authorized the claim on foods such as oat bran and whole oat, as well as oat flour to bear health claims such as "Soluble fiber from foods such as oat bran, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease." or "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include soluble fiber from oatmeal may reduce the risk of heart disease." The stipulation was that “diets low in cholesterol and saturated fat” must be included in the claim.

The evidence/research has shown that one needs to consume about 3 grams of soluble fiber per day to have an effect on cholesterol levels (it does help with other things too). The primary issue is that the effect lasts only as long as the consumption. So, consuming oatmeal every day for a week or a month, just won’t be beneficial a year from now. To have the benefit long-term, it needs to be consumed on a regular basis long-term, not temporarily.

Here is a recipe for you to try this weekend: Cherry-Hazelnut Oatmeal from Cooking Light.

To your heart health – Eat Well, Live Well, and Be Well

Thinking About Going Vegetarian? Try Being a bit “Flexitarian”

In the 21st century some people equate eating meat to smoking a cigarette – you just don’t do it if you want to be healthy.

Some people are set on believing that going vegetarian, in its various forms, is a more righteous way to eat and an automatic way to healthier eating, and in some cases, automatic weight loss as well.

While research has shown that overall vegetarians do consume less fat and cholesterol and suffer less from the ill effects of having too much of these nutrients than their meat consuming counterparts, research has also shown that people who follow a vegetarian diet exercise more, smoke less, and generally have less stress.

One must note, that following a vegetarian diet does not automatically make the diet “healthy.” Vegetarians can eat unhealthy diets as much as a non-vegetarian. Candy, chips, soft drinks, and other snack foods can each qualify as vegetarian and someone who calls him/herself a vegetarian can easily not eat fruit and vegetables just as easily as a non-vegetarian.

If you are considering a vegetarian route, think about this: how do you eat now? Do you plan your meals and eat a balanced diet and pretty healthy already? Why are you choosing to cut out or reduce your animal product consumption? Is it for your health? Is it for ethical reasons?

If it is for ethical or religious reasons, be careful in that you are still getting plenty of plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Get your protein from plants like beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy products.

If you are thinking of going vegetarian for your health, consider this: rather than going vegetarian "all the way" consume meat, poultry, and/or fish a one, two or a few times a week. The rest of the week, consume primarily plant-based foods and protein like beans, nuts, and seeds, and soy products.

Can’t do it? What are you going to do when you are a vegetarian? Many people turn to pasta with pasta sauces for all of their non-meat or “vegetarian” meals, and this just isn’t the way to go.

"Flexing" your way to a part-time vegetarian diet just might help you out, and help your health. And it is much more reasonable. That way you can have your meat and not eat it too.

For more information about a flexitarian diet – check out the book The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life by Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN


Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well – with just a bit of meat…

Little Luxuries – Can’t Wait to Try Them!

So many people think that dietitian’s don’t “do” indulgences and don’t “allow” others to do it either. It couldn’t be farther from the truth – at least among the levelheaded dietitians that I know. We love our food, and we love our good food.

I personally love my sweets – desserts. Chocolate, usually. Lemon something or a good crème brulee stands out. But I’ll go with just about anything except perhaps a Black Forest or a meringue, but the rest is pretty much open.

I get frustrated when I go out to eat however, because I often find that when I’m finished with my meal, I’m too full to have dessert, let alone enjoy dessert. And I do want to enjoy dessert!

So, my husband and I, and sometimes our son, and sometimes all by myself, go to a great place here in Albuquerque: Flying Star Café. They have fantastic desserts made daily. If you go early afternoon to early evening you can get a pretty good selection. As the day goes one they start to run out, and once they are out, you outta luck… My favorite is Chocolate Mousse Cake, which tends to disappear pretty quickly and isn’t there if we go in the later evening. So my second choice is generally a toss up between the Crème Brulee, Carrot Cake and the German Chocolate Cake (which is best when left in the car for about an hour on a warm day). But I do try some of the new items that pop up too.

The one downfall here is these desserts are extraordinarily large, at least from my view. I have conservatively estimated some of them to be my entire days calories in a single piece, probably more with the items that have nuts. I have asked, even though I don’t think I really want to know about the nutrition information on some of the food items. Unfortunately, they do not currently have nutrition information on their foods, which is pretty common at locally owned restaurants.

When I get these always-great desserts, I really have to struggle to finish them. I also inevitably have a sugar headache the next day! One would think I would be willing to forego these “Large Luxuries” for the headache. I do…for a month or two, but then I just have to go for it, and deal with the sugar hangover the next day.

If only I could have the wonderful dessert in maybe a half portion…? It is so rare that my husband wants chocolate – so sharing? Out of the question!

My dreams have come true! Today I in my email, my Flying Star Frequent Flyer eNews announcing the forthcoming “Little Luxuries”…smaller pastries to satisfy my sweet tooth and just might not give me a headache! Just might not give me an extra (ahem) calories. And best of all, I don’t have to sacrifice what I really want and share a non-chocolate dessert with my husband!

Flying Star, here are my requests for the Little Luxuries Line: Chocolate Mousse Cake, Crème Brulee, Carrot Cake, German Chocolate Cake, the Kahlua Chocolate one…and maybe a smaller version of the Bread Pudding. I’ve always wanted to try the bread pudding, but it is just too much.

I will be there in February asking for the Little Luxuries line. And I’m telling my friends!

Eat Well, Live Well, and Be Well – and enjoy those Little Luxuries in small amounts.

Eating Breakfast – Just Try It!

For years we have heard it over and over, from our mothers, from health experts, from everywhere: eat breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day.

But just saying it doesn’t do the trick for people. If saying something was the way to get people to do things, then that would make so many of our jobs so much easier! We have to experience it for ourselves, and sometimes it is trial and error before we finally get the hang of it.

Excuses abound: “I’m not hungry.” “I don’t feel like eating.” “I tried it, but when I did, it was starving 2 hours later, so I stopped.”

So, let’s get to the bottom of this. There is loads of research on the benefits of breakfast including that is heaps keep weight down throughout life (the research covers child, adolescents, and adults). That tends to be the important for most people.

By the very definition of the word, break-fast, you need to fuel your brain and your body after the long fast you have had for the past 8-10-12 hours, depending on when your last meal was.

Breakfast should be within a couple of hours after you wake/get up, and it doesn’t have to be big. You can also spread it out over a couple of hours if you don’t tend to be hungry. It should total about 300-500 calories. Coffee or tea can be with your breakfast but shouldn’t be considered breakfast.

Your breakfast should consist of a whole grain carbohydrate, some protein with healthy fat, and some fruit. If you have just carbohydrate, like oatmeal and don’t have protein, you will digest it within an hour and, guess what? You will be hungry within a couple of hours!

Here are some suggestions:

• Whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana
• Whole wheat English muffin with an egg, one ounce of cheese, and slice tomato
• Oatmeal with chopped nuts and sliced or dried fruit
• Yogurt with fruit and granola (or high fiber cereal)
• Smoothie with fruit, soy milk or yogurt and 1/4 cup uncooked oatmeal (try it!).
• Half whole grain bagel with cream cheese and fruit or vegetable juice (be careful, bagels tend to be between 350-400 calories each without the cream cheese).
• Tortilla or pita with egg, cheese, and green chile only. If you start adding bacon and potatoes then you start adding calories, trade out something else, like the cheese for the bacon. (Classic New Mexico breakfast burritos can pack a 800-1200 calorie punch!)

Set a goal to have breakfast three times this week and work you way up to five times a week in a couple of months. Before you know it, it will be a part of you daily habit.

Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well – Starting Tomorrow Morning Sunshine!