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 Where's the Fat?
- by
Fred S. Emmite, R.Ph., CDM
A popular commercial aired in 1984
as a slogan for a national fast food hamburger chain, “Where’s the Beef?”
Today,
a better question for Americans wanting to eat healthily is “Where’s the
Fat?” Does that sound too good to be true? How can that be?
I thought we were supposed to avoid fat to be healthy?
Well, not all
fats are the same! There are four types of fats commonly found in
the American diet and we should really only avoid one of them.
The fat that should be avoided at
all cost is the TRANS-FATS. Trans-Fats are partially hydrogenated
omega-6 vegetable oils. They include soybean, cottonseed, sunflower,
corn, safflower, canola, sesame and peanut oils that have been heated in
the presence of oxygen. This is the process that makes margarine,
shortening, non-dairy coffee creamers, cooking oils and salad dressings.
These fats are deadly and they increase your appetite!
The second
types of fats are the omega-6 fats. The include vegetable oils that
have not been heated in the presence of oxygen (but if you fry with them
you partially hydrogenate these oils), butter, lard and cream. These
fats promote inflammation and also increase your appetite. They
should be consumed only in moderation.
The third types of fats are the omega-9 fats.
They include olive oil, avocadoes, macadamia nuts and almonds. They
are neutral fats and have an appetite reducing effect.
Finally, the fourth types of fat
are the omega-3 fats. They include flax and fish oils. They
reduce inflammation and can greatly decrease your appetite. Humans
can only utilize the fish oils for the purpose of reducing inflammation.
If you take fish oil supplements make sure that you ONLY take the purified
concentrated form and make sure that the company that sells it tests for
contaminants and purity.
So there you have it! Our bodies need healthy
fats to make healthy cell membranes it is just that simple. We need
fat!
Do not forget that fats are a dense source of
calories, so don’t get too carried away with them, but we need about 30%
of our calories to come from healthy fats.
So the next time you have a meal or snack the
question you should ask is “Where’s the Fat?”
Fred S. Emmite, R.Ph., CDM
Nutritional
Consultant/Pharmacist
7900
Fannin St, Suite 1650
Houston, TX 77054
Phone:
713-383-8875
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