Fat Facts for Heart Health
While fad diets and gimmicky programs have come and gone, doctors have stood by one
tried and true method of losing weight: eating right and exercising. Of course, there is no
magic bullet against the setbacks caused by slips or absence of personal willpower. That
may account for the alarming public health trend of obesity in America.
Regardless of the origins, people have started blaming fat itself as the cause of being overweight. The word is riddled with connotations such as lethargic, passive and lazy.
What many of us have failed to realize is that fat is just as essential for survival as vitamins, minerals, proteins and the recently maligned carbohydrates. Fat delivers the fatsoluble vitamins A, D, E and K to organs, encourages the growth of healthy hair and skin, insulates the body and maintains the appetite.
However, not all fats are created equal. Four varieties of fat can be found in food—some good and some bad.
“While fat is essential to maintaining good health, in excess it can lead to weight gain and the clogging of your arteries,” says Jennifer Prish, Wellness Coordinator for Durham Regional Hospital. “Everyone should be consuming the right kinds of fats, even if you don’t have high cholesterol or if you take medication for your cholesterol.”
Inside the body, cholesterol depends on proteins for transportation, and the coupling forms a lipoprotein. There are two types of lipoprotein/cholesterol: LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein). LDL is “bad” because there is more lipid in the lipoprotein than protein, and it circulates and deposits cholesterol to the artery walls. That leaves HDL to be “good” because the protein in the lipoprotein outweighs the lipid content, and it carries away cholesterol from the arteries to the liver to be processed and shipped out from the body.
The question remains: what do fatty foods have to do with all this? Simply put, the types of fats contained in the foods we eat affect the LDL and HDL levels in our blood. Saturated and hydrogenated (trans) fats, commonly found in foods like fried foods and cheesecake, raise the LDL level and its associated risks, while polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats found in fish and avocados increases HDL levels and ironically, lower overall cholesterol.
The remaining fat that is not digested or burned during exercise gets stored within the body and causes the familiar tightening of pants and tipping of scales.
Being armed with knowledge of words like “moderation,” “portion control” and “good fats vs. bad fats” can go a long way towards fighting the battle of the bulge. Even if weight loss is not a goal for you and your family, good nutrition with appreciation rather than fear of fat is integral in leading or simply starting a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.
Bad fats:
You can find more information about heart health at the American Heart Association, www.americanheart.org.
Regardless of the origins, people have started blaming fat itself as the cause of being overweight. The word is riddled with connotations such as lethargic, passive and lazy.
What many of us have failed to realize is that fat is just as essential for survival as vitamins, minerals, proteins and the recently maligned carbohydrates. Fat delivers the fatsoluble vitamins A, D, E and K to organs, encourages the growth of healthy hair and skin, insulates the body and maintains the appetite.
However, not all fats are created equal. Four varieties of fat can be found in food—some good and some bad.
“While fat is essential to maintaining good health, in excess it can lead to weight gain and the clogging of your arteries,” says Jennifer Prish, Wellness Coordinator for Durham Regional Hospital. “Everyone should be consuming the right kinds of fats, even if you don’t have high cholesterol or if you take medication for your cholesterol.”
Inside the body, cholesterol depends on proteins for transportation, and the coupling forms a lipoprotein. There are two types of lipoprotein/cholesterol: LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein). LDL is “bad” because there is more lipid in the lipoprotein than protein, and it circulates and deposits cholesterol to the artery walls. That leaves HDL to be “good” because the protein in the lipoprotein outweighs the lipid content, and it carries away cholesterol from the arteries to the liver to be processed and shipped out from the body.
The question remains: what do fatty foods have to do with all this? Simply put, the types of fats contained in the foods we eat affect the LDL and HDL levels in our blood. Saturated and hydrogenated (trans) fats, commonly found in foods like fried foods and cheesecake, raise the LDL level and its associated risks, while polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats found in fish and avocados increases HDL levels and ironically, lower overall cholesterol.
The remaining fat that is not digested or burned during exercise gets stored within the body and causes the familiar tightening of pants and tipping of scales.
Being armed with knowledge of words like “moderation,” “portion control” and “good fats vs. bad fats” can go a long way towards fighting the battle of the bulge. Even if weight loss is not a goal for you and your family, good nutrition with appreciation rather than fear of fat is integral in leading or simply starting a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.
Bad fats:
- Saturated
- Red meat, poultry skin, bacon, animal products
- Tropical oils, such as coconut and palm
- Foods fried in tropical oils
- Hydrogenated (Trans)
- Most processed and packaged foods
- Fast foods
- Foods containing hydrogenated products
- Stick margarine and some tub margarines
- Monounsaturated
- Olive, canola and peanut oils
- Avocados
- Polyunsaturated (Omega-3 and Omega-6)
- Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, herring and trout
- Flaxseeds
- Safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn and cottonseed oils
- Eggs
- Nuts, except Brazil nuts and cashews
You can find more information about heart health at the American Heart Association, www.americanheart.org.
