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March 16, 2009
Q: What are trans fats and why are they so bad for us?
A: There’s been a lot of hype in the news about trans fats over the last few decades, especially as the federal government has made the labeling of trans fats mandatory on nutrition labels. New York City banned trans fats from their restaurants and food chains back in 2005, while big-name companies like Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and KFC have switched to healthier oils, reducing the amount of trans fats in a lot of their food items. By now, most consumers have been warned about the dangers of trans fats, but many still wonder why it is such a big deal. The real explanation must include a little history…
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature (think butter) while unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature (think vegetable oil). Trans fats, however, are unsaturated fats that have been chemically altered to be solid (saturated) at room temperature.
Back a few decades ago, there was a big push to reduce saturated fats from food items due to the new-found link between saturated fat and heart disease. To retain the consistency, taste, and shelf-life of baked goods and processed foods, food manufacturers sought out an alternative to saturated fats that would keep the public “healthier”. It was assumed that since unsaturated fats are considered the healthier fats to eat, transforming them into solid fats would be a fantastic solution. But in fact, the new product turned out to be the most dangerous type of fat yet, and unfortunately it took quite a few years for scientific studies to prove that trans fats were, in fact, even worse than saturated fats.
Trans fats are dangerous to consume because they have been altered into a form that is unnatural and unfamiliar to the body, thus it is hard for the body to break them down. Trans fats build up in arteries just like saturated fats do, contributing to high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.
Today, food manufacturers are aware of the issue and are required by law to put trans fats on their nutrition labels. However, consumers should still be wary of packaged foods – there could be trans fats present in a food item even when the nutrition label says “0 grams” (less than a gram, but still there nonetheless). You can check to make sure the food item does not contain trans fats by looking through the ingredient list. Any ingredient including the words “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated oil” means there are trans fats present in the food item.
Once you start looking for it, you’ll be amazed (and appalled) by how many food items still contain some amount of trans fat. But as an educated consumer, you can have control over the amount of trans fats you eat – by always reading labels carefully and avoiding heavily processed foods. If you’d like to learn more about trans fats, check out the FDA’s website.
Read more on fats:
Fat-Free: Too Good To Be True?
What to Eat: Fats
The Fats You Really Should Avoid
March 12, 2009
Q: There always seem to be contradicting reports about fat… Which are “good” and which are “bad”?
A: Fat is present in almost every food we eat – even naturally “fat free” items like carrots and lettuce have trace amounts of fat, which just goes to show you how vital this nutrient is.
Fat is a terrific energy source (when your body burns 1g of fat, it gets 9 calories of energy; in contrast, when you burn 1g of carbohydrate or protein, you get less than half that – only 4 calories of energy).  Fat is also a key component of cell membranes throughout the body and, if you eat the right type of fat, the nutrient can reduce internal inflammation. Eating fats ensures delivery of essential fatty acids to your body (like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids*). Fats also help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins that require fat in order to be absorbed from food and transported throughout the body). Examples of these include vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Fats have, traditionally, been divided into two categories: saturated and unsaturated (or “bad” and “good”). Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature (think oil), while saturated fats are solid at room temperature (think butter). But I’m going to break them down a little further for you, into four categories: monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats, and trans fats.
Monounsaturated fats (or MUFAs as they are affectionately termed) are mostly found in plant-based food sources. Examples of these include olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, avocados, pecans, and peanuts. These are excellent for you to cook with or to throw on top of your salad for some flavor.
Polyunsaturated fats (or PUFAs) are mostly plant- and fish-derived, including sunflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, soybeans, tuna, salmon, walnuts, and most other nuts. PUFAs are usually a fantastic source of Omega-3 fatty acids (fish and flaxseeds are great examples) which are severely lacking in the average American diet.
Saturated fats, by contrast, are solid at room temperature. Basically any animal product will contain saturated fat – examples include beef, lamb, pork, bacon, cheese, full-fat yogurt, butter, whole milk, etc. Snack foods and bakery items that use tropical oils (like coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils) also contain saturated fats, which add to the taste and shelf-life of processed foods (after trans fats were forcibly removed, food manufacturers added saturated fats back in). Saturated fats are linked with heart disease because they have been found to raise harmful cholesterol levels (LDL, or the “bad” cholesterol).
How Bad Could They Be?
Studies have found that eating just one meal rich in saturated fats (say, a cheeseburger and fries from McDonald’s) is enough to raise blood cholesterol levels and damage arteries – just one meal!
In general, aim to keep your saturated fat to less than 20g per day. What does this look like? To give you an idea, one small (3oz) piece of filet mignon has about 10g saturated fat. If you already have risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or a family history of heart disease, and if you’re a man over 45 or a woman over 55, then the American Heart Association recommends no more than 7g saturated fat per day. It is definitely a challenge to avoid saturated fats in today’s society, but the key to success is in choosing low-fat dairy products, eating red meat in moderation, and really paying attention to those nutrition labels on packaged foods.
Trans fats, the fourth category, are another type of saturated fat or, more accurately stated, an artificially-saturated fat. I’ve devoted an entire post to trans fat, but I’ll review the details again here as well. Trans fats are usually found in processed baked goods. Not only do trans fats raise LDL cholesterol like regular saturated fats, they lower “good” cholesterol levels (HDL) as well. Studies have proven that the incidence of heart disease increases exponentially with the amount of trans fat you consume in your lifetime, and preliminary studies have shown trans fats to raise insulin resistance, increase fat around the abdomen (which is also a risk factor for heart disease), and promote internal inflammation. You can tell a food item contains trans fat if its ingredient list reads “hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”. If you focus on eating whole, natural foods like vegetable oils, fish, whole grains, and fresh produce, then you’ll naturally be eating trans fat free.
The take-home lesson: You should be aiming for a balanced diet rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These foods include olive oil, vegetable oils, avocados, seeds, nuts, and fish. Ensuring your fats are unsaturated will give you the greatest health benefits, while still allowing your meals to be tasty and flavorful. Eat foods containing saturated fat in moderation, especially if you have a family history of heart disease. And lastly, avoid trans fats altogether. Be especially aware of the restaurants you frequent – ask if they’ve eliminated trans fats from their kitchens or research it for yourself online. As an educated consumer you have the power to control your health and the health of your family. Just remember: Not all fats are bad!
*Your body can’t produce these fatty acids and needs a steady supply in your diet in order to get them.
Read more on fats:
Fat-Free: Too Good To Be True?
The Truth About Trans Fats
The Fats You Really Should Avoid
March 10, 2009
Q: I continue to gain weight, despite really watching what I eat and eating fat-free foods! Should I be eating even less fat?
A: Fat is probably the most misunderstood nutrient in our diet. I remember growing up with cupboards full of “fat-free” everything – cookies, crackers, cream cheese, dressings, coffee creamer. It didn’t matter what the item was or if it was technically good for you; as long as it was fat-free, it was “healthy” because FAT was the real enemy. And guess what happened as a result? I got fat.
These pre-Atkins low-fat diets were all the rage because, around the same time, a great deal of scientific studies were being published about the link between saturated fat and heart disease. Coming from a family with very high cholesterol and early-onset heart disease, we jumped on the bandwagon and went sans fat.
The facts (okay, the very crucial facts) that got left out of the picture were these:
- All fat is not bad; both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are incredibly healthy for you and do not cause heart disease.
- As food manufacturers remove fat from processed foods, they increase the sugar content to account for changes in flavor*. This adjustment often turns the food into a high-sugar item that rushes the bloodstream and causes a surge in insulin.
- Just because an item is “fat-free” does not make it “healthy.” Processed baked goods like cookies and crackers, no matter what their fat content, have little nutritional value and are essentially empty calories.
As more research has been done and us “fat-free fatties” have learned our lesson, the recommendations on fats have become more relaxed. Today, science tells us that fats are a necessary component of a healthy diet and research studies have proven that the total amount of fat in the diet isn’t the problem when it comes to weight or disease. It’s really the type of fat that matters.
*Interesting side note: It was during this same thought process that food manufacturers decided to make an alternative to the fat they used in baked goods, so as not to compromise the flavor or consistency of their products. Since vegetable oils are unsaturated and “healthy”, the plan was to artificially saturate them to make a “healthier” saturated fat. Thus, trans fats were born.
Read more on fats:
What to Eat: Fats
The Truth About Trans Fats
The Fats You Really Should Avoid
March 9, 2009
Q: Can you explain the health difference between types of carbohydrates? What is insulin’s role and how does it relate to diabetes?
A: In the digestive system, all carbohydrates (except fiber) are broken down into their singular sugar components (the molecules must be really small so they can cross into the bloodstream). Glucose is your body’s sugar of choice, so most digestible carbohydrates are converted into this form (commonly called “blood sugar“).
 To explain the health difference between simple and complex carbohydrates, I’m going to lead us through an example. So let’s say you give into temptation and eat a slice of chocolate cake (like that’s hard to imagine…). What happens once you’ve swallowed that delicious bite? The digestive system breaks down the cake (which is mostly carbohydrates and fats, but we’ll focus on just the carbs for now) into simple sugars, which can then enter the bloodstream and go about their business.
Now think about the ingredients for making cake (not from the box - I mean real, homemade cake…). The ingredient list would read flour, sugar, cocoa, eggs, etc. Since the carbohydrates in the cake are already “simple,” not much action is required by the digestive system to break them down. [For the sake of accuracy, I should mention that fiber acts to slow down the process of digestion as well. Since foods like chocolate cake contain little fiber, digestion occurs very rapidly.] As it is digested, the large amount of sugar from the cake rushes into the bloodstream all at once, causing a spike in blood sugar levels. You can blame that headache you get after eating too many sweets on this process.
As the level of sugar in your bloodstream rises, your body signals for the production of a hormone called insulin. Insulin’s job is to tell various cells to absorb sugar from the bloodstream, so it can be used for energy and storage. Insulin will continue to be produced until blood sugar levels return to their normal state. Thus, the more simple carbohydrates you eat (or drink) at once, the higher your blood sugar will spike. This causes more insulin to be produced and more sugar to be taken up by the cells.
However… If you continue to abuse this very precise process by eating large amounts of simple carbohydrates, then over time your cells will fail to respond to insulin’s signal (the cells essentially grow immune to its constant presence). This situation is called insulin resistance, and it is the precursor to Type II Diabetes. Insulin resistance has also been linked with heart disease, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, and excess weight. It has been estimated that 90% of Type II Diabetes cases can be prevented through a combination of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle.
The take-home lesson: If you stick with whole grains, fruits, beans, and vegetables, then you won’t have to worry about “cutting carbs” or eating “low-carb”. Whole foods offer all the vitamins, minerals, and fiber that you need for a healthy diet. Fiber, along with complex carbohydrates, helps slow the process of digestion and keeps sugar from rushing into the bloodstream. You’ll notice your energy levels will stabilize as well – an added bonus! Of course, it’s okay to give in to temptation every once in awhile, as long as you keep your serving sizes in check and watch your total calories. Eating healthy should be a lifestyle, not a passing trend, and a strict diet is too difficult to maintain in the long run. Fuel your body with all the healthy carbohydrates it needs to function well, and you’ll find that you can enjoy that slice of chocolate cake even more!
Read more on carbohydrates and sugar:
Simple v. Complex Carbohydrates
What is Fiber?
Please Hold the Sugar
March 7, 2009
Q: What is fiber? Why is it so important?
A: Fiber, just like other carbohydrates, is also composed of long strands of sugar molecules. Yet they are linked in such a way that the normal process of digestion can’t break down the sugars. As a result, fiber is able to pass through the body undigested.
 There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble (some food labels list them individually; most do not). The names are very explicative of their design – soluble fiber is soluble in water (it dissolves) while insoluble fiber is not. Although neither type of fiber provides nutrients to the body like other carbohydrates do (because it’s not digested), both still provide many health benefits. In the intestine, soluble fiber binds to fatty substances and carries them out of the body as waste, helping to lower LDL cholesterol levels (that’s the “bad” kind of cholesterol). Soluble fiber also helps to keep hunger and blood sugar in check by slowing down the process of digestion. Insoluble fiber helps push food through the intestinal tract, keeping the digestive system active and healthy and promoting regularity.
Fiber is found mostly in whole grains (not refined flours or processed cereals), fruits, vegetables, and seeds. You should aim to get 25g of fiber each day (the average person only gets 5-10g/day). If you choose whole foods as your carbohydrate sources instead of over-processed, refined sugars and baked goods, then you should have no trouble reaching this goal. Other great ways to increase your fiber intake? Try adding some wheat germ or ground flaxseeds into your yogurt, oatmeal, breakfast cereal, or baked goods. They don’t add much as far as taste goes, but these ingredients do provide healthy amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and 5 grams of fiber per serving.
Read more on carbohydrates:
What to Eat: Carbohydrates
Simple v. Complex Carbohydrates
Please Hold the Sugar
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