Fat

heather19th

How do I cut out all this fat in food? What are some easy ways to cut fat out of my diet? Help, I'm not smart with this diet stuff and I really WANT to make this work! Thank you for any help!!

InIt2WinIt

Hi Heather,

You don't want to cut out fat completely, you just need to eat food with "good" fat. What are you eating that contains so much fat?

Mindful_Trent

Hi Heather,

You don't want to cut out fat completely, you just need to eat food with "good" fat. What are you eating that contains so much fat?

I second this - there is a difference between good fats and bad fats. I eat about 30% fat and have been successfully losing weight. Low-fat is not a requirement for a healthy diet.

MayaPapaya64

My most recent favorite thing ever is to add the Oikos 0% plain Greek yogurt to mashed potatoes instead of milk and butter. It tastes just like sour cream! I think basically it'd work anywhere sour cream is used - so even on tacos, etc. And there's no fat!

Fat from nuts and avocado and fish is happy fat so I don't count that as the same thing as, say, fat in cheetos...

wriglucy

I agree with the good fat posts. My husband is all about cutting out all fat, but really, people need fat, just in moderation. I would worry more about calories. Calories, if not used, are turned into fat. Also...to much fat, if not used, is turned into fat. Also, fat is what holds you over longer, along with protein.
Good luck!

countjackula

The good news is that eating fat won't make you fat... as long as you're at or under your caloric goal for the day.

The even better news is that eating "healthy fats", the mono- and poly- unsaturated fats, which are found in foods such as almonds, olive oil, peanut butter, avocados, etc., are actually GREAT for you and will help to lower cholesterol levels by "clearing" your arteries.

mmtiernan

Read the Nutrition label on the foods you buy and eat. It will list the total amount of fats and then in most cases, it will list the amount for the various types of fats separately.

In general, you want to keep your total number of calories from fat in the 20% range. However, know that not all fats are equal! Under no circumstances should you consume foods that contain trans fat. That is the evil type of fat that is directly associated with heart disease. Note that by law, food manufacturers only have to list an amount for transfat it it is more than .5 grams. For this reason, you should also scan the ingredients list for anything listed a "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated". If you see either of those two phrases, that is trans fat.

Studies have also shown that excessive amounts of saturated fats also contribute to heart disease, so you want to keep the number of grams of sat. fat that you consume to a minimum.

Hope this helps.

heather19th

I do I know the difference between good fat and bad fat? I'm having a taco salad today and fat in the taco meat.

Mindful_Trent

I do I know the difference between good fat and bad fat? I'm having a taco salad today and fat in the taco meat.

Some fat from animal sources (beef/chicken/turkey/eggs/dairy.) is okay, but you also want to make sure a good bit of your fat is from plant sources - almonds, avocados, olive oil, coconuts, etc. Saturated fat does not need to be eliminated - it can be part of a healthy diet, though it should be consumed in moderation. Here's a good article about it: http://www.menshealth.com/print/21896 (I linked to the print page because otherwise you have to keep clicking through different pages).

Trans-fats are the real fats to try to eliminate as much as possible - here's a good summary about them: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032

Nikiki

I do I know the difference between good fat and bad fat? I'm having a taco salad today and fat in the taco meat.

is it a restaurant taco salad or did you make it?

when I make tacos I use super lean beef or turkey (usually 92% lean) mixed with diced mushrooms and onions, even if you dont like mushrooms, if you dice them up small you'll never notice them in the taco meat and they lighten up the meat considerably. I put the onions in the pan first with a little bit of olive oil, once they're translucent add the meat, cook it about halfway then add the mushrooms and finish cooking and add seasoning.

top it with fat free yogurt (greek yogurt is the best, SUPER thick like sour cream) and salsa, and add avocado for good fat.

to find things with good fat look for mono & poly unsaturated fats, these are found in nuts, seeds, olives, coconuts, avocados ect... saturated and transfats are the evil ones. If you look at the ingredient list and you find partially hydroginated oils then it has trans fats which really you should not have in your diet at all. I've found it in sooo much stuff, cereals, quaker granola bars (you know those 90 calorie ones marketed to kids?) salad dressings, margerine (country crock & smart balance dont have it).

mlb929

I do I know the difference between good fat and bad fat? I'm having a taco salad today and fat in the taco meat.

Not all animal fat is the same - I cut the fat in meat by eating grass fed beef that is organic, the fat is a better quality fat and less fat per meat. The meat is higher in GLA, a good Omega 3 (or is it Omega 6) fat. What I would do with a taco salad is skip the cheese and dressing. Use Pico as your dressing or a fat free, sugar free salsa or hot sauce. I often times just use Red Pepper as my dressing. If you are eating a commercial salad, don't eat the fried shell. You can also opt for Black Beans vs Refried Beans and skip the meat all together. Use Avocodo as your dressing too, just smash up a fresh avocado. I also find there is sugar in many mexican seasonings have sugar or fat in them that can be avoided.

anovasjo

When purchasing ready-to-eat foods, look for the word UNSATURATED. That means this fat is a liquid at room temperature (think olive oil, peanut oil, nuts, avocados, etc). It is naturally occurring. If you cook foods for yourself from scratch it is extremely likely you will be using this type of fat. It is easily digested and used by your body to do the work of your cells.

The word SATURATED means that the fat molecules you will be consuming has been pumped full of hydrogen atoms in order to "saturate" (and straighten out) the molecule, allowing the substance to remain a solid at room temperature (you can pack these straightened, saturated molecules together very tightly). So many processed foods include this type of fat - bakery treats like danishes, "smooth" peanut butters, etc - because it is more marketable and allows a longer shelf life. Unfortunately, saturated fats are not very easily broken down by your body.

The prefix "TRANS-" is also bad if you are referring to fats. This is a term referring to the orientation of the atoms in the fatty acid. It is naturally occurring in animal products like milk and body fat. Trans fats are not essential to human health in any way, and they are very harmful when consumed. (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra054035) You will frequently find trans fatty acids in deep fried restaurant foods (trans fats go rancid infrequently and are therefore common in industrial deep fryers).

anovasjo

The prefix "TRANS-" is also bad if you are referring to fats. This is a term referring to the orientation of the atoms in the fatty acid. It is naturally occurring in animal products like milk and body fat. Trans fats are not essential to human health in any way, and they are very harmful when consumed. (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra054035) You will frequently find trans fatty acids in deep fried restaurant foods (trans fats go rancid infrequently and are therefore common in industrial deep fryers).

Read more about the dangers of trans fatty acids here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032

Mindful_Trent

The word SATURATED means that the fat molecules you will be consuming has been pumped full of hydrogen atoms in order to "saturate" (and straighten out) the molecule, allowing the substance to remain a solid at room temperature (you can pack these straightened, saturated molecules together very tightly). So many processed foods include this type of fat - bakery treats like danishes, "smooth" peanut butters, etc - because it is more marketable and allows a longer shelf life. Unfortunately, saturated fats are not very easily broken down by your body.

Keep in mind that there are some natural saturated fats - found in animal products. Despite all the hoopla over saturated fats, these natural saturated fats are not something you need to go out of your way to avoid like the plague. I do agree artificially saturated fats should be avoided - but natural ones (in moderation, of course) can be part of a healthy diet. For an eye opener about the relationship between fats, cholesterol and health read "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes. I haven't finished it, but it's a fascinating read, and something everyone should be exposed to.