For a Healthy Diet, Don’t Fear Fat

With all the low-fat, no-fat, and fat-free products out there, it seems there is a lot of “fat fear” going on. But avoiding fat is not the best thing when it comes to good nutrition and health.

“As you age, fat plays an important role in your diet, from regulating your cardiac health to improving your blood sugar for diabetes control,” says Dana Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, senior dietitian at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “The right kind of fats also can decrease your risk of cancer and even Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Fat is required for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K, which all have vital roles in maintaining body functions.”

However, all fats are not created equal, so you must choose the right kind and the right amount.

Good fats, bad fats.

According to Dr. Hunnes, the healthiest fats are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated.

Polyunsaturated fats are divided into two types: omega 3s, which include walnuts and oils from fatty fish like salmon, trout, mackerel, and herring, and omega-6s, which are found in plant sources like corn oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil.

Monounsaturated fats are found in olive, canola sesame, and peanut oils, nuts, and avocados.

“Polyunsaturated fats like fish oil are so healthy because they are anti-inflammatory, and help to lower bad-cholesterol (LDL), while raising good cholesterol (HDL), which improves cardiovascular health and lowers your risk of heart attacks,” says Dr. Hunnes.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

To get more healthy fats into your diet: 

➢ Replace mayonnaise or mustard spread with mashed avocado.

➢ If you do use mayo, make your own: Blend a whole-egg and one cup of extra-virgin olive oil.

➢ Use olive oil instead of butter or margarine on bread and vegetables or when cooking.

➢ Snack on a handful (about ¼ cup) of nuts and seeds, like almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, and pine nuts.

➢ Drizzle your salad with walnut oil or peanut oil and vinegar.

➢ Skip the beef burgers for salmon burgers.

Monounsaturated fats also help lower bad cholesterol levels, and a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that following a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in monounsaturated fats like olive oil and nuts, lowered the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) among adults age 55 to 80. PAD is a narrowing of the peripheral arterties to the legs, stomach, arms, and head, and is similar to coronary artery disease (CAD).

The worst fats for older adults, or anyone, are trans fats, followed closely by saturated fats. Trans fats, are formed when oils undergo a process called “partial hydrogenation,” and are mostly found in stick margarine, vegetable shortening, high-calorie processed foods like cookies, pastries, and cakes, and deep-fried foods. (Trans fats fall under the heading of “partially hydrogenated” on the list of ingredients.)

“Trans fats are dangerous because they move cholesterol levels in the opposite direction of healthy fats—they raise bad LDL and lower good HDL,” says Dr. Hunnes. This can put you at a higher risk of heart disease as well as diabetes.

Saturated fats, also known as “animal fats,” are found in full-fat dairy products (milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter), beef, chicken-skin, and other land-animal fats. (Pure virgin coconut oil, a new trendy oil, is a saturated fat, but despite its name can be solid, semi-solid, or liquid, depending on room temperature.) They can increase the bad cholesterol, but unlike trans fat, they do not really affect the good cholesterol.

While some studies have suggested that high saturated fat intake is not directly to blame for some health issues, it still has the potential to clog your arteries, including those that lead to the heart and brain, says Dr. Hunnes.

Make smarter choices.

While you should strive to eliminate trans fats, you can still enjoy some foods that contain saturated fat with smarter choices. Low-fat dairy products are healthier than the regular versions, but be mindful that they may also be higher in calories and/or sugar, salt, and other flavor additives to make up for the decreased fat. “You can have them in moderation,” says Dr. Hunnes.

For meat, opt for skinless white poultry and leaner cuts of beef, like loins and rounds. Coconut oil falls between trans fats and liquid vegetable oils and should be consumed in moderation.

Not sure which fat is which at a glance? Here is a good way to tell the difference: Trans and saturated fats are primarily solid at room temperature, while poly and monounsaturated fats are liquid.

“If they are solid at room temperature, they are solid in your arteries, and should be limited or avoided altogether,” says Dr. Hunnes.

How much is enough?

Keep in mind that eating fat does not make you fat. Consuming extra calories beyond your need is what leads to stored fat and weight gain. Still, there are limits to how much total fat you should eat daily, even when it comes to healthy fats. The reason?

“Gram-for-gram, fats contain twice as many calories as either carbohydrates or protein,” says Dr. Hunnes. “So, because fat is a concentrated source of calories, if you consume too much, even the healthy fats, you will consume too many calories.”

Men and women have different energy (calorie) needs, with men, on average, requiring 25 percent more calories than women. So fat intake follows suit, with men needing 25 percent more than women.

For example, a 65-year-old woman who, on average, needs 1,600 daily calories should consume between 35 and 60 grams of total fat per day. A 65-year-old man needing 2,000 calories per day should consume between 45 and 75 grams of total daily fat.

But be mindful that you can get high amounts of fat (and calories) in small doses. For instance, one tablespoon of olive oil contains 14 grams of healthy fat (and 120 calories), so a woman would need only three to four tablespoons and a man four to five tablespoons in an entire day to hit the mark.

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