Fat in foods

KAYRRIE

Should I even worry about the fats in my food? And I don't mean burgers, I mean like cheese, milk, cottage cheese, etc. I've been buying 2% cheese, low fat cottage cheese, fat free half and half, etc. but I keep hearing that those kinds of fat fill you more, so should I just go for the regular cheese, cottage cheese, regular milk, regular eggs (I've been using egg beaters for the low carbs)? That may be more important now, especially after learning that I actually need to eat more calories because I need to eat those exercise calories back.

ggxx100

I'm a firm believer in fat! Just not the kind on my body, haha...I've lost the weight eating full fat yogurt whole eggs, and regular goat cheese. I find myself much more satisfied after, and natural is always better.

BackToFree

Hi Kayrrie,

I am of the thought that full cream is better. Closer to it's natural state and all. The good fats in food, while still need to be watched, are good for you and will provide you with the fatty acids etc that it needs. My nutritionist is dead against skim, 2% etc, and is even more against throwing out a perfectly nutritious, healthy egg yolk just to save cals/carbs. I tend to agree with her on both counts.

Good luck!

skinnytayy

The fat in dairy is healthy for you so enjoy. Might want to take a look at this ... since I'm sure there will be plenty of people coming on here praising fat-free dairy crap.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/21/why-you-need-to-avoid-low-fat-milk-and-cheese.aspx

JessHealthKick

there are many good fats in whole fat foods. The fats I have from whole foods include

1. Fish - all the fatty fishes like salmon are very good
2. Eggs - yolks have lots of nutrients and fats which are very good for you. Having cholesterol is not a BAD thing, you need it.
3. Chicken - I only have lean chicken breast, but there are some fats there
4. Nuts/seeds - I try to mix it up with walnuts, almonds and pistachios as well as seeds like sunflower, pumpkin etc
5. Full-cream milk - milk is definitely not perfect, and I live in Japan at the moment where most of the milk produced with A1.. or is it A2? The better protein molecule. I am probably going to stop having milk once I finish drinking what I have at the moment as I am getting a lot of calcium from vegetables so don't feel the need.

I occasionally have cheese but I never cook with it, just when I'm out and it's on a salad or something.

You should be more concerned with gluten. Many people here will attack me over this, but gluten for me personally caused so many problems like bloating, stomach aches, acne, bad sleep etc which I didn't realise until I started avoiding it!

Check out my diary if you want an idea of what I eat it's all logged (also have vitamin D, calcium and magnesium supplements and 3L of water a day)

Sarauk2sf

The only fat you need to avoid is trans fats.

Other than that, as long as you are not getting so much that it displaces you getting a balanced diet and hitting your protein and total calorie target, fats are fine, and in fact beneficial.

Try to hit your fat goal - fat is important for healthy body functions and hormonal balance.

dbmata

Research has shown time and again that fat is important to feels of satiety and health.

That doesn't mean open up a box of butter and eat it.

It does mean don't fear it, eat it, enjoy it, it adds flavor, and makes you feel fuller longer.

Also, what is fat free half and half? Is it basically fat free milk with chemical thickeners? Means it's basically all sugars, right? That's no bueno in my opinion. Then again, I've come to realize that my body does well with fewer carbs than a normal person.

KAYRRIE

You all have been awesome! Thank you so much. I was so worried about finding fat free, low fat stuff and the least possible calories but then I'm always hungry, and the sodium in all those substitutes are insane because they have to replace the taste. I'm learning so much on MFP, especially with people like you all. Thanks again!

KAYRRIE

Research has shown time and again that fat is important to feels of satiety and health.

That doesn't mean open up a box of butter and eat it.

It does mean don't fear it, eat it, enjoy it, it adds flavor, and makes you feel fuller longer.

Also, what is fat free half and half? Is it basically fat free milk with chemical thickeners? Means it's basically all sugars, right? That's no bueno in my opinion. Then again, I've come to realize that my body does well with fewer carbs than a normal person.

Lol, exactly what you said. I just learned all that the hard way when I started seeing my sugars and sodium numbers up because of all the substitutes I was trying to do, not to mention the empty pockets it was leaving me with. I'm glad I learned this now and not later on.

skinnytayy

Research has shown time and again that fat is important to feels of satiety and health.

That doesn't mean open up a box of butter and eat it.

It does mean don't fear it, eat it, enjoy it, it adds flavor, and makes you feel fuller longer.

Also, what is fat free half and half? Is it basically fat free milk with chemical thickeners? Means it's basically all sugars, right? That's no bueno in my opinion. Then again, I've come to realize that my body does well with fewer carbs than a normal person.

^ YES. This right here. Don't go all Paula Deen with the butter. :laugh:
Sorry, had to do it ... It was just perfect timing.

dbmata

^ YES. This right here. Don't go all Paula Deen with the butter. :laugh:
Sorry, had to do it ... It was just perfect timing.

Paula who?
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/paulas-fried-butter-balls-recipe/index.html

Check that recipe out.

HeidiCooksSupper

Oftentimes the fat in "fat free" foods is replaced with other ingredients that are worse for you than the fat. As a fairly random example, although the first ingredient in Land-o-Lakes fat free half & half is skim milk, the second is corn syrup AKA sugar. The third ingredient is cream which does have fat but the stuff can still be called fat free because there is less than a gram of fat per serving. It's also got carrageenan in it as an emulsifier. Research has linked carrageenan to stomach inflammation and other problems. So, although it's not wise to eat a lot of fatty foods, simply choosing fat-free ingredients does not necessarily result in consumption of foods that are better for you.

Vailara

It depends on the product for me, but if the full-fat version tastes better, I'll usually have that but less of it. I put skimmed milk in my tea because I'm happy with the taste and I'm just using a bit to take the bitterness off it. That gives me a few extra calories to play with (compared to full-fat, semi-skimmed). Cheeses like cheddar, parmesan, etc., I'd normally eat full-fat. I've gone back and forth with greek yoghurt, but I do prefer the fattier versions. I choose fatty fish over less fatty fish (more for health than for taste). I do go for lower fat meat. I use butter rather than low-fat spread (although I only use a tiny bit of butter).

Years and years ago, I tried to lose weight by cutting down on fat - I ate very little fat, but didn't lose any weight at all.

dbmata

Lol, exactly what you said. I just learned all that the hard way when I started seeing my sugars and sodium numbers up because of all the substitutes I was trying to do, not to mention the empty pockets it was leaving me with. I'm glad I learned this now and not later on.

Yeah, I really don't see the point in substitutes. I've done away with a lot of things, but I keep my milk whole, or raw. I keep my cheese full fat, and I avoid aspartame after reading that it can produce formaldehyde as a byproduct of metabolization.

Some things are good to learn earlier than later. The only substitute I partake in now is whey protein, simply because it's a clean form of protein, and lets me take in protein easily, and earlier in the day. I detest utterly and completely eating prior to noon or the afternoon.

Warchortle

Fat is good for the immune system and internal function of the body. Companies substitute sugar for fat, which serves less benefit so... Yea, I'll eat the fat.

neanderthin

Natural dietary fat has a positive effect on particle size of our LDL cholesterol lipoproteins and increases HDL, which translates to less atherogenic, which is compromised when replaced with sugar. Basically a remnant of the low fat era. We need fat, and when consumed in it's natural state, it's healthier.

skinnytayy

^ YES. This right here. Don't go all Paula Deen with the butter. :laugh:
Sorry, had to do it ... It was just perfect timing.

Paula who?
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/paulas-fried-butter-balls-recipe/index.html

Check that recipe out.

:noway: :ohwell: :sick:

That sounds like a really bad joke ... then you see a legit recipe and reviews. Wow. Just wow.