1. Omega 6 Fats: This type of fat is found in corn oil and
soybean oil and the amount we use has increased over the
years because we eat more processed foods. Go check a few
boxed foods in your kitchen cupboard and you will likely
find soybean oil in the ingredient list. Too much omega-6
fat can increase inflammation.
2. Omega 3 Fats: There are 3 omega-3 fats - DHA, EPA and
ALA. The first two are found in fatty fish such as tuna,
salmon, trout, mackerel, and herring. ALA is the plant
source of omega-3 and is found in flax seed and walnuts.
Omega-3 fats help reduce inflammation. If you can eat fish
high in omega 3 twice a week you can get a good base amount
for heart health. If you don't like fish then you can take
fish oil capsules. Remember to read the dosage directions
on your supplement bottle. If your doctor recommends 1000mg
or 1gram fish oil daily, that actually means 1000mg
EPA/DHA. What you need to do is add the EPA and DHA
amounts. Most bottles have about 300mg of these once you
add them together so that means you need 3-4 pills to get
1000mg of omega-3. You also want to buy a brand you feel
has good quality. Since supplements are not regulated you
have no guarantee what is actually in the bottle. Flax seed
is a grain and can be purchased as seed or milled. You need
to eat the ground form to get the health benefits because
the body can not break down the seed form. Once it is
ground be sure to keep it refrigerated. Add 1-2 tablespoons
to cereal, yogurt, or any dish you are having. You will get
the benefit of the omega-3 and the fiber!
3. Monounsaturated fats are also anti-inflammatory and good
for our heart and cholesterol. The Mediterranean Diet is
high in monounsaturated fats and includes regular intake of
foods like olive oil, canola oil, avocados and nuts. Eating
these good fats can lower blood pressure, cholesterol and
reduce risk for diabetes.
4. Trans fats are not good for our health. Some trans fats
are naturally found in animal foods but most of our excess
trans fats are from processed fat in packaged foods. Stick
margarine is the classic example of trans fats. When stick
margarine is made, oil is processed to become solid. This
process is called hydrogenation and you will often see the
words "partially hydrogenated" on ingredient labels. The
chemical process of making oil turn solid creates trans
fats which have been found to raise artery clogging
cholesterol (LDL) and lower artery cleaning cholesterol
(HDL). Trans fat amounts are required to be on labels by
FDA and you want to try to keep your intake as close to
zero as possible. The simplest way to keep trans fat intake
low is to eat less processed food.
5. Saturated fats can also raise cholesterol. Just think
of saturated fat as solid fat like lard or butter. Whole
and 2% milk, cheese and fatty meats are also high in
saturated fat. Some snack foods and bakery products are
high in saturated fats as well. Check the labels and try to
keep saturated fat less than 20 grams daily. You do not
need to quit eating cheese and eggs. My recommendation is
to choose small portions of less processed cheese. I
personally don't like fat-free cheese for the taste or
texture. Eggs have a little saturated fat but are also a
very good protein source. They have gotten a bad reputation
over the years due to their higher cholesterol content.
Reducing processed foods will do much more for your health
than cutting out the eggs.
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Karen Marschel, RD, LD, CDE is a registered licensed
dietitian and certified diabetes educator with 15 years
experience helping clients lose weight and manage diabetes.
She offers online personalized weight loss and diabetes
prevention programs. Sign up for her free newsletter at her
website http://www.DietMN.com .
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