Saturated Fat

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ghudson92
ghudson92 Posts: 2,061 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just a bit of a gripe, I didn't realise that saturated fat is in so many foods! Even coconut oil! I really want to cut down on saturated fats, are there any particular foods I should be looking out for that may be marketed as healthy?

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    I'm not bothered about saturated fat. I oxidise it to provide energy. The amount in my blood isn't a function of the amount in my food.

    If this was sugar everyone would say "turn off the logging".

    All Bran is low on sat fat. FWIW.
  • KarlynKeto
    KarlynKeto Posts: 323 Member
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    georgyporcupine wrote: »
    Just a bit of a gripe, I didn't realise that saturated fat is in so many foods! Even coconut oil! I really want to cut down on saturated fats, are there any particular foods I should be looking out for that may be marketed as healthy?

    There isn't just one kind of saturated fat, it's not a one size fits all theory despite marketing efforts. The whole 'sat fat is bad' is old research that still persists, I personally don't buy it anymore. Our cells need fat.
  • BelleCakes2018
    BelleCakes2018 Posts: 568 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Saturated fat is in a lot of processed foods, and pure animal fat, or fatty cuts of meat, butter, coconut oil and palm oil, cheese, cream and some nuts.

    The non saturated fat items will be lean meats, fruits and veg, low fat dairy, grains and healthy fats like olive oil and other nuts.

    Just a basic guide there..

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
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    Look for unsaturated food sources: fish, nuts/legumes, lean meats/game meats (bison, elk, etc..). Personally, if it comes from a cow or other natural source, I would tend to worry less about it.

    But this is all dependent on your genetics. Some people don't respond well to fats, just like others don't respond well to carbs. But if your bloodpanels are good, I wouldn't stress this as much.

  • eyeshinebright
    eyeshinebright Posts: 51 Member
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    I set a limit of around 10-12g of saturated fat per day and its pretty easy to do this as I'm limiting how much processed food I eat. That said, I just had a delicious slice of pizza that has 2g of sat fat and is 150 calories, and 290mg sodium. Totally possible to "cheat" and still watch out for nutrient values.
  • MindPump1
    MindPump1 Posts: 77 Member
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    Personally I do not see why there is so much hate towards saturated fat. About 2 months ago I switched the keto diet, and have upped my fat intake from about 30grams a day to about 150-200 grams. Honestly I have not felt better. I stay away from carbs, and stick to protein and fat, and I have more energy, and I am less hungry throughout the day. I don't feel bloated like I did when I consumed carbs, nor do I get as many headaches or body aches. While this approach isn't for everyone, I think the hype against fat is misplaced, and over the next couple months, or maybe even years, you'll start to see a big swing away from saturated fat as being bad (that change has already started to happen).
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Chocolate bars and some nutrition bars seem to have a lot of sat fat.
    If I get it, I try to get it from natural foods - not processed junk.
  • rontafoya
    rontafoya Posts: 365 Member
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    I eat a lot of saturated fat and have never been healthier. It is my understanding it's polyunsaturated fats (especially most vegetable oils) that bad, especially when you cook with them. It seems like that's why restaurant food is so bad for you, because they fry everything in polyunsaturated veggie oils. So I pretty much stick with mono or saturated and have been really healthy.
  • ghudson92
    ghudson92 Posts: 2,061 Member
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    Thanks for all your responses. Since this post I've been reading around this area and don't feel so bad about it anymore. I'm thinking of reducing my carb intake and increasing my fat, I'm pescetarian so the majority of my fats are from natural healthy sources. Just need to stop eating cheese so much lol, three servings a day is not good!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
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    georgyporcupine wrote: »
    Thanks for all your responses. Since this post I've been reading around this area and don't feel so bad about it anymore. I'm thinking of reducing my carb intake and increasing my fat, I'm pescetarian so the majority of my fats are from natural healthy sources. Just need to stop eating cheese so much lol, three servings a day is not good!

    Strongly disagree ;)
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    mmm, cheese.
  • BelleCakes2018
    BelleCakes2018 Posts: 568 Member
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    georgyporcupine wrote: »
    Thanks for all your responses. Since this post I've been reading around this area and don't feel so bad about it anymore. I'm thinking of reducing my carb intake and increasing my fat, I'm pescetarian so the majority of my fats are from natural healthy sources. Just need to stop eating cheese so much lol, three servings a day is not good!

    I doubt there's any problem with cheese - besides you just said you wanted to increase your fat - stay with the cheese if you enjoy it :)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    georgyporcupine wrote: »
    Thanks for all your responses. Since this post I've been reading around this area and don't feel so bad about it anymore. I'm thinking of reducing my carb intake and increasing my fat, I'm pescetarian so the majority of my fats are from natural healthy sources. Just need to stop eating cheese so much lol, three servings a day is not good!

    I think sat fats are fine. The only time fat is a problem is when paired with high carb (mainly highly refined and processed carbs or sugars). That tends to lead the way to poor health.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I pretty much look at my fat overall...I eat a variety of fats.

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