Health, Nutrition & Weight Loss - Week 1, Day 6

Fat – the last major change to healthier eating.
First off, your body NEEDS fat to function properly.

But just like a lot of the other foods, we have to focus on the ‘better for you’ fats.

The basic consumption rule is:

More foods that are high in MONO and POLY UNSATURATED FATS aka “essential” fatty acids (like fish, nuts and healthy oils). These are essential for healthy hair, skin and joints, for lowery the risk of heart disease and other critical processes of the body.

Reduce the amount of SATURATED FATS (found in pork, red meat and dairy products).

Avoid foods that contain TRANS FATS including fried and breaded foods.

The Breakdown:

SATURATED FATS – found in animal fats are found to be linked to hypertension, heart disease, strokes, various forms of cancer and obesity.

The goal is to find protein sources that have far less of this than beef, pork, lamb or duck. The healthier alternatives, although ALL animal sources of protein contain saturated fat, would be turkey or chicken breast meat, and even buffalo meat. So, try some substitutes and modifications like using turkey sausage or taking the skin off the chicken to help trim the fat. Try to limit the grams to 10 or less.

TRANS FATS – maybe the worst thing that ever happened to our food supply. Why would they take healthy fats, alter their chemical structure through “hydrogenation”, and use it in our foods? Just to extend the shelf life! Well, they can run, but they can’t hide! Trans Fats by any other name (Hydrogenated oils, Partially hydrogenated oils, Fractionated oils, Vegetable shortening & Lard) are still Trans Fats! Once again, READ THE LABEL! It may say 0 Trans Fat, but if one of the ingredients above is listed above, try to avoid it.

Another rule of thumb: If it’s fried or breaded, it’s likely high in calories and contains Trans Fatty Acids. I know we said that we weren’t going to worry too much about calories, but eating TOO MUCH FAT, even from the good sources can sabotage your weight loss goals. 1 gram ea. Of protein or carbs = 4 calories, while 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. Try to limit the intake of added fat per meal to: 1 TBSP – mayonnaise, oil and high-fat dressing and sauces or 1 oz. cheese.

The healthier alternatives for cooking would be grape seed oil, safflower oil, avocado oil and macadamia oil.

For the table, try: Earth Balance or Smart Balance brands of butter.


And that’s the ‘skinny’ on fat!