Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats

Hi Guys,

Today I will be looking at  monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

 www.cdc.gov

The best sources of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and fish.

Cook with olive oil. Use olive oil for stovetop cooking, rather than butter, stick margarine, or lard.

 For baking, try canola or vegetable oil.

Eat more avocados. Try them in sandwiches or salads or make guacamole.

Along with being loaded with heart and brain-healthy fats, they make for a filling and satisfying meal.

Reach for the nuts. You can also add nuts to vegetable dishes or use them instead of breadcrumbs on chicken or fish.

Snack on olives. Olives are high in healthy monounsaturated fats.

But unlike most other high-fat foods, they make for a low-calorie snack when eaten on their own.

Try them plain or make a tapenade for dipping.

Tapenade is an olive-based Provençal condiment.

To make it, you pound together olives, capers and anchovies with a mortar and pestle (or a food processor), plus olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and a possible drop of Cognac.

The end result is a slightly chunky paste you can spread on toasted baguette slices or scoop up with raw vegetables.

Dress your own salad. Commercial salad dressings are often high in saturated fat or made with damaged trans fat oils.

Create your own healthy dressings with high-quality, cold-pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil, or sesame oil.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat. While all types of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, omega-3 fats are proving to be especially beneficial.

We’re still learning about the many benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but research has shown that they can:

Prevent and reduce the symptoms of depression

Protect against memory loss and dementia

Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer

Ease arthritis, joint pain, and inflammatory skin conditions

Support a healthy pregnancy

So you can see the benefits of eating monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

I will be looking at this further tomorrow.

Regards,

Stephen Hart

 

Reducing The Bad Fats

Hi Guys,

Today I would like to look at how to reduce the bad fats.

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 Everyone has heard how bad trans fats are for you.

The primary source of trans fats in the Western diet comes from commercially-prepared baked goods and snack foods.

How do you find out if the food contains trans fats?

You have to do a bit of research and detective work.

The marketers do not want you to know if there are trans fats in their food. 

It would reduce the number those items.

Here are some tips for you.

When shopping, read the labels and watch out for “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredients. 

Even if the food claims to be trans fat free, this ingredient makes it suspect.
 
With margarine, choose the soft-tub versions, and make sure the product has zero grams of trans fat and no partially hydrogenated oils.

When eating out, put fried foods, biscuits, and other baked goods on your “skip” list. 

Write these down in red in your notepad. 

Remember to take your notepad with you everywhere.

Avoid these products unless you know that the restaurant has eliminated trans fat.

Avoid fast food. 

Most places have no labeling regulations for fast food, and it can even be advertised as cholesterol-free when cooked in vegetable oil.

Watch out for this crafty way of disguising it.

When eating out, ask your server or counter person what type of oil your food will be cooked in. 

If they do not know then ask to speak to someone who does know or go somewhere else.

If it’s partially hydrogenated oil, run the other way or ask if your food can be prepared using olive oil, which most restaurants have in stock.

If you are in any doubt at all then just walk away.

They will try and persuade you that it does not contain trans fat but that is only because they want you to buy from them.

I bet if you asked for a signed written statement on the companies stationary stating this, most would not do it because they know they could be sued if it turned out not to be true.

 Tomorrow I will be talking about monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, the good fats that your body needs.

Speak to you tomorrow.

Stephen Hart

 

 

 

Good and Bad Fats.

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to speak a bit about good and bad fats.

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All fats make you put on weight right?

WRONG. 

Some fats are actually essential for your body.

Let us first look at bad fats so we can put them to bed.

Bad fats increase cholesterol and your risk of certain diseases.

Check you note book for items in red.

These are the fats that must not be consumed.

They include things like:- baked potato chips, fat-free ice cream, low-fat candies, cookies, and cakes.

They have NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE  and just cause you to put on weight in the form of fat.

There are certain fats that are actually GOOD FOR YOU.

Let us looks at some of the myths about fat.

Myth: All fats are equal—and equally bad for you.

Fact: Saturated fats and trans fats are bad for you because they raise your cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease. 

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, lowering cholesterol and reducing your risk of heart disease.

Myth: Lowering the amount of fat you eat is what matters the most.

Fact: The mix of fats that you eat, rather than the total amount in your diet, is what matters most when it comes to your cholesterol and health. 

The key is to eat more good fats and less bad fats.

Myth: Fat-free means healthy.

Fact: A “fat-free” label doesn’t mean you can eat all you want without consequences to your waistline. 

Many fat-free foods are high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and calories.


Myth: Eating a low-fat diet is the key to weight loss.

Fact: The obesity rates for Americans have doubled in the last 20 years, coinciding with the low-fat revolution. 

Cutting calories is the key to weight loss, and since fats are filling, they can help curb overeating.

Myth: All body fat is the same.


Fact: Where you carry your fat matters. 

The health risks are greater if you tend to carry your weight around your abdomen, as opposed to your hips and thighs. 

A lot of belly fat is stored deep below the skin surrounding the abdominal organs and liver, and is closely linked to insulin resistance and diabetes.

Let us have a look at the different kinds of fat.

 
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as the “good fats” because they are good for your heart, your cholesterol, and your overall health. 

Saturated fats and trans fats are known as the “bad fats” because they increase your risk of disease and elevate cholesterol.

Appearance-wise, saturated fats and trans fats tend to be solid at room temperature (think of butter or traditional stick margarine), while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tend to be liquid (think of olive or corn oil).

• Try to eliminate trans fats from your diet. Check food labels for trans fats. Avoiding commercially-baked goods goes a long way. Also limit fast food.

 

• Limit your intake of saturated fats by cutting back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods. Try replacing red meat with beans, nuts, poultry, and fish whenever possible, and switching from whole milk and other full-fat dairy foods to lower fat versions.

 

• Eat omega-3 fats every day. Good sources include fish, walnuts, ground flax seeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, and soybean oil.

How much fat is too much?

How much fat is too much depends on your lifestyle, your weight, your age, and most importantly the state of your health. The USDA recommends that the average individual:

• Keep total fat intake to 20-35% of calories
• Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of your calories (200 calories for a 2000 calorie diet)
• Limit trans fats to 1% of calories (2 grams per day for a 2000 calorie diet)

 I think that is enough for one day.

Tomorrow I will be looking at how to reduce your bad fat intake.

Kind regards

Stephen Hart 

Are Fats Bad For You?

Hi Guys,

Today I will be looking at FATS.

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Fats have got a bad name for themselves these days but are all fats the same?

The answer in NO. 

There are basically two types of fats. 

There are good fats and bad fats. 

Lets us have a look at these.

You will want to make a note of these in your notebook.

Put the bad fats in red writing and the good fats in green writing.

 This will mean it is easy to see which are good and which are bad.

In red writing make a note of these.

These are fats that you should avoid if possible.

 

Saturated fats and trans fats are known as the “bad fats” because they increase your risk of disease and elevate cholesterol.

Appearance-wise, saturated fats and trans fats tend to be solid at room temperature (think of butter or traditional stick margarine), while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tend to be liquid (think of olive or corn oil).

• High-fat cuts of meat (beef, lamb, pork)
• Chicken with the skin
• Whole-fat dairy products (milk and cream)
• Butter
• Cheese
• Ice cream
• Palm and coconut oil
• Lard

• Commercially-baked pastries, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pizza dough
• Packaged snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn, chips)
• Stick margarine
• Vegetable shortening
• Fried foods (French fries, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, breaded fish)
• Candy bars

  Now lets look at the good fats.

These are fats that are healthy for you and you can eat.

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as the “good fats” because they are good for your heart, your cholesterol, and your overall health.

• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Sunflower oil
• Peanut oil
• Sesame oil
• Avocados
• Olives
• Nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)
• Peanut butter

• Soybean oil
• Corn oil
• Safflower oil
• Walnuts
• Sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds
  Flaxseed
• Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines)
• Soymilk
• Tofu

By now your note book should be filling up with things you should and should not eat.

 Using different colours make it easier to see at a glance which foods you can eat and which ones to avoid.

 I will finish here because I know that a lot of people do not have time to read long blogs.

Tomorrow I will be looking a bit more about good and bad fats. 

Have a great day,

I will speak to you again tomorrow.

Stephen Hart 

Why Is Salt And Sugar So Addictive?

Hi Guys,

Today I will be looking at why manufacturers add sugar and salt to food.

dietandi.com

It is common knowledge that too much sugar and salt is bad for you.

If it is so bad for you the why do the manufacturers add it to their food?

In effect junk food is like a legal narcotic.

It is like the methamphetamine of processed food ingredients.

The manufacturers try to get us hooked at a very early age. 

That is why there is so much sugar in children's food. 

They used to allow us the decision of whether we want to add extra sugar or salt to out foods.

Now that they realize how addictive it is they do not allow us that choice.

They want us to have the sugar and salt so that we become addicted to it. 

That is why so many children are over weight.

They are addicted to these ingredients.

You should consider salt and sugar as drugs.

Would you give your child something like heroin?

Of course not.

So why do you give them sugar and salt?

The manufacturers are crafty when it comes to putting the ingredients on food labels.

They try and disguise it in the wording.

Sugars are carbohydrates but many people do not realize this.

If you read the ingredients of food and look carefully about the piece about carbohydrates you will see the phrase "of which xxx is sugar"

What you need to do is check the labels of your foods.

Make a record in red letters which foods are high in sugars.

You must avoid these foods at all costs.

I expect you will be listing down a lot of foods that should be avoided.

Next you need to check out the amount of salt in foods.

These will raise your blood pressure and can lead to heart attacks and feinting.

Again the manufacturers try and disguise the salt in foods.

They do this by calling it by its scientific name.

What you have to avoid is foods that are high in SODIUM or Na.

Make a record in your note book in red letters about foods that are high in sodium.

Again I expect you will find quite a lot of these.

Anything in red letters must be avoided.

Writing them down in red letters brings your attention to the foods that should be avoided.

I hope you take the time to do this.

In effect you are building up a list of foods that are bad for your health.

Tomorrow I will be looking at FATS.

Make sure that you have your notepad handy again.

Best wishes,

Stephen Hart

 

Dangers Of Salt And Sugars!

Hi Guys,

Today I want to talk about the dangers of salt and sugar.

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To save you a lot of boredom I am not going to be giving you a chemistry lesson on how salt and sugar can be harmful, that would just bore you.

I want to make this article as easy to read as possible.

Lets begin by looking at sugar.

Sugar weakens the immune system making it more vulnerable to disease and illnesses.

That is one of the reasons children get so many illnesses along with the fact gthat they have not built up natural immunity yet.

It also increases bad cholesterol and reduces the good cholesterol.

Sugar increases the number of cancerous cells in the body.

Sugar can affect your vision.

Once you have lost your vision you can never get it back.

Sugar can cause premature aging which no one wants.

It can cause gallstones, appendicitis, hemorrhoids and even varicose veins.

Finally as everyone knows it can cause obesity.

Those are some of the reasons you should avoid sugar.

Now lets look at salt.

Salt can lead to water retention, bloat and swelling of the feet and/or legs.

Salt can lead to the loss of potassium in the bones and kidneys.

It makes your bones weaker which can lead to fractures or broken bones.

Salt can lead to high blood pressure.

This can in turn to lead to dizziness and feinting. 

Salt is very common in most foods we eat today.

You get more than your daily recommended intake with out adding any salt to your food.

Tomorrow I will be looking at why manufacturers add salt to food even though it is bad for your health.

Make sure you have your handy dandy notepad on hand tomorrow, there will be a few things to note down.

Speak to you again tomorrow,

Stephen Hart

 

Weight Loss Sucess.

Hi Guys,

Are you thinking about losing weight?

You have to be in the right mind set to lose weight.

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 Yesterday I mentioned that you would need a note book to write things down.

When you write things down you tend to remember it better.

You can also have a quick review of what you have written down to refresh your memory.

Every time you eat anything have a look at the label and see what it contains.

See how much salt and sugar it contains.

If the label shows a warning about high content of these, write it down in red ink.

These should be avoided at all costs.

If you have a notice board in the kitchen, write the product name in red ink on the board.

Anything written in red ink should be avoided. 

As the days go on you will build a list of products to avoid and you will get better at remembering them.

If you come back from shopping and find that you have bought a product that should be avoided, write it down again in bigger letters.

This way you will program your mind to avoid these foods. 

 As the weeks go on you will remember the foods to avoid and will not need to write them down.

You are slowly training your mind to avoid these foods.

Soon you will get a feel for what foods are safe to eat and those that contain a lot of sugar and salt.

It is the sugar and salt in foods that make you put on weight.

That is why I have started to get you to avoid these foods.

Tomorrow we will be looking at why sugars and salts are so bad for you and why they make you put on weight.

Avoiding these is a great way ton start losing weight.

Speak to you tomorrow,

Stephen Hart