Types of Fat

A much maligned part of our diet is fat, but not all fats are the same. Focusing on more favorable while reducing unfavorable fats from your diet is a wise choice.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that less than 10% of calories a day should be from saturated fats. The American Heart Association suggests a goal of 5% to 6% of daily calories from saturated fats.

Fats are easily categorized by their food chemistry - with "saturated" fat carrying the weight of most undesirable - coming mainly from meats and even coconuts. Included here are whole milk products and other high-fat dairy goods, and most notoriously baked or fried foods prepared with saturated fats.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the more favorable fats, the former found in various plants foods and oils such as avocadoes, almonds and other types of nuts and seeds, the latter most popularly in fish and fish oils. You may have heard of omega-3 and omega-6 oils, you should strive for a favorable ratio of these, as omega-3 tends to be underrepresented in many diets.

Balanced Diet

The important point about diet is proper amounts, favoring healthy fats over unhealthy fats, and consuming high fiber foods like fruits and vegetables to help you feel full and improve your microboime.

[E]ach gram of fat has 9 calories. That's true for all fats. So calories can add up quickly, even with healthy fats. For example, walnuts are a healthy snack high in polyunsaturated fats. But just a dozen walnut halves contain about 160 calories — more calories than in one large apple.

Some simple rules, starting with favoring plant based food sources, with the complication of heating oils is they can in turn produce trans-fats which are most harmful of all.

• Choose olive oil to saute vegetables
• Consider canola oil for searing and stir frying.
• Favor "oily" fish over meats, or choose lean meats (remove skin etc)
• Select low-fat dairy products.
• Fill up on whole fruits and vegetables, even as snacks

Watch out for processed foods, which often contain saturated fat, and read nutrition labels of "low-fat or fat-free" items which may instead have sugar and other artificial ingredients.

Lose Weight

Work with Dr Oksana Aron to develop a proper diet for you: Visit her practice website to learn more about how medical weight loss can help you reach your weight loss goals.

Sources: Mayo Clinic

Labels: diet, easy weight loss, omega 3 fatty acid, red meat

Are you in the red?

Burgers. Bacon. Cold cuts. Hot dogs. What do these foods all have in common?

Plenty.

They're all red meats, for starters. They're also fattening--and they come with health risks. Below are some important facts that will make you want to cut back on red meat if you're serious about losing weight (and if you're concerned about how it relates to your life span and quality of life).

What is red meat?

In case you're wondering, red meat includes beef, pork and lamb, and recent research shows that eating red meat means you have a higher risk of early death.

Red meat health risks

It's not just your life span that's affected. There are many serious health problems that can occur from regularly eating red meats such as the following:

• Saturated fat and cholesterol found in red meat are linked to coronary heart disease.

• Eating processed meats such as bacon, sausage or hot dogs once a day can double your risk of Type 2 diabetes.

• Heme iron, which is found in red meat, is associated with heart attacks and fatal heart disease.

• Red meat may increase your risk of colorectal and other types of cancer.

By eliminating or limiting red meat in your diet, you make an important health decision that can almost instantly benefit you. Think of some healthy red meat substitutes--such as lean turkey or grilled mushroom--that satisfy your cravings, but don't present a major health risk.

Get started today on eating and thinking in a healthier way. Make your first appointment today with Dr. Aron at WeightLossNYC if you want to see results and start losing weight. Give us a call at 718-491-5525 and we'll be more than happy to help.

Sources: EverydayHealth.com; latimes.com


Image courtesy of bplanet / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Labels: cancer, death, diabetes, diet, diet tips, food, heart health, new york, ny, nyc, red meat

Omega-3 fatty acids have been touted by doctors and health experts as essential to a healthy diet and heart. We can find them in fish oil capsules and many grocery store foods, but a recent study conducted in Holland of omega-3 fatty acids in margarine, however, may challenge its benefits.

In the 40-month long heart study of 4,800 patients that received low doses of omega-3 in the form of margarine in addition to standard heart medication, it made no difference in their chance of experiencing a second heart attack or other cardiovascular problems. Participants in the study were between the ages of 60 and 80 and had experienced a heart attack within the past 4 years.

An important factor to note: the diet in Holland is also different from the American one, as it includes more fish and less red meat and fast food.

Still, a daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids is recommended by many doctors for a healthy heart and weight loss, which can be found naturally in foods like fish (salmon, herring and sardine), soybeans, flax seeds and walnuts.

Source: LifeScript.com

Labels: fat, health, heart health, medication, omega 3 fatty acid, red meat

I red the news today, oh boy

The latest AARP Diet and Health Study by the National Institutes of Health of more than 500,000 people supports the idea that high intake of fat from red meat and dairy products lead to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

Men and women who consumed high amounts of total fats had 53% and 23% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer, respectively, compared with men and women who had the lowest fat consumption. Participants who consumed high amounts of saturated fats had 36% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer compared with those who consumed low amounts.

Still, there isn't sufficient scientific evidence to pinpoint dietary fat from read meat and dairy products’ role in pancreatic cancer compared to other types of meat consumption, necessitating further research.

Cook at Home

Don’t chicken out — bake this easy recipe at home now:
View Recipe

Cite Science Daily

Labels: cancer, dairy, red meat