On a low-fat diet? Fat avoiders beware: Fat is not the enemy. In fact, it is necessary.We need fat in our diets because it supplies essential fatty acids to aid in growth and healthy skin. It also, helps us digest food and absorb vitamins.
Now, this doesn’t mean to go out and eat all the ice-cream and cheeseburgers you can get your hands on. That would be a little ridiculous, right?
Here’s the deal: You need healthy fats, which come in the form of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Saturated fat should be avoided because consuming too much can increase your risk of heart disease by increasing your LDL cholesterol levels. (Whereas monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have been shown to actually lower LDL cholesterol levels.)
Some foods that contain healthy fats are nuts, nut butters, avocado, olive oil, seeds and salmon.
Some foods that contain saturated fats are meat, eggs, dairy products and butter.
Total fat consumed for a day should be between 20-35% of your total calories. How do you figure that? Each gram of fat equals 9 calories. So, based on a daily diet consuming 1400 calories, your fat for the day should be between 31-54 grams.
Remember, healthy fat is what you want and not saturated fat. Have some of your favorite nuts ready to eat. Just be sure to watch serving sizes. It is easy to eat too much. Too much of a good thing ... well, is no longer a good thing.
Tiffiany Moore is a certified personal trainer and NANBF figure competitor. Read more at www.trainertiff.com. Questions or comments? E-mail trainertiff@hotmail.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/trainertiff.
1 comment:
I walked into my employer's health screening pretty confident. I feel like I have a healthy diet, but as it turns out, my "good fats" level was too low. I tend to steer away from fats... but no more! Eggs, olive oil and avocados are now a part of my diet.
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