Skinny on Fat for Seniors

Skinny on Fat for People with Diabetes

Nutrition and You

The Skinny On Fat
Let's face it: dietary fat - the nutrition topic that is receiving the most attention from health professionals and consumers alike - is the most difficult to understand. The changing nature of Americans' eating habits has left a lot of consumers with questions about the role of fat in the diet.

All Fat is not Bad
To many people, fat has become something to avoid in the daily diet. But as nutrition experts know, fat is a vital nutrient that supplies the body with energy, essential fatty acids and helps to absorb certain vitamins. In fact, contrary to common misperceptions, new research finds that diets low in certain essential fatty acids may actually increase the risk of heart disease.

In simple terms, dietary fat is the most concentrated source of energy. Fat provides nine calories per gram compared with four calories per gram from either protein or carbohydrates. This equates to more than two times more energy derived from fat.

Fat is an important nutrient, but how much should you eat in your daily diet? According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 30 percent of daily calories should come from fat sources. To translate this recommendation into useful terms, count fat grams instead of trying to figure out percentages. For example, 2,000 calories per day diet should contain about 65 grams of fat per day.

Fats are not Created Equally
It's important to understand the different types of fat and those foods most commonly associated with them. Fats are generally classified as saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. While some fats - saturated - are linked to elevated levels of LDL-cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) in the blood, monounsaturates actually lower "bad" LDL levels. It's critical to pay attention to the type of fat in various foods. Focus on decreasing saturated fats and choosing sources of monounsaturated fats like those found in olives and olive oil. Here are the basics:

Saturated Fat    Most commonly found in foods of animal origin. Sources include red meats (beef, pork, lamb), poultry, dairy products, eggs and coconut and palm oils.

Polyunsaturated Fat    Most often found in foods of plant origin. Sources are corn, safflower, sunflower and sesame oils and some nuts and seeds.

Monounsaturated Fat    Also found in foods of plant origin. Sources include olives and olive oil along with canola oil, nuts and avocados.

Recommended Sources of Fat    Health experts recommend that no more then 30 percent of daily calories come from fat sources with most of your fat intake coming from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

Fat and Cholesterol: There is a Link
Simply put, cholesterol - made in the body primarily in your liver - is a "cousin" of fat belonging to a chemical group called lipids. Cholesterol and fat travel in the bloodstream in packages called "lipoproteins."

Medical experts are concerned about the two main ways that cholesterol is carried in your bloodstream. One is low-density lipoproteins, LDL-cholesterol is considered "bad," because a high level of LDL-cholesterol increases the risk of fatty deposits forming in the arteries, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease. The other way that cholesterol is carried in the bloodstream is in high-density lipoproteins, or HDL (good)-cholesterol. HDL seems to have a protective effect against heart disease. In fact, low levels of HDL (good)-cholesterol are related to an increased risk of heart disease.

Choose Your Fat Wisely
To protect against heart disease, it's important to lower LDL-cholesterol, and not the HDL-cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats can help lower (bad) LDL-cholesterol, but at the same time, they have also been found to lower the (good) HDL-cholesterol. That's why nutrition authorities recommend that monounsaturated fats be the major source of fat in the diet. Monounsaturates, like the fat found in olives and olive oil, can help lower (bad) LDL-cholesterol while maintaining or raising the (good) HDL-cholesterol.

Identifying Fats - Being a Better Label Reader
Look for the Nutrition Facts panel, like the one shown here for ripe olives, to get information about the product's serving size and the amounts of nutrients like fat, sodium, and fiber. Remember all foods fit into a healthy diet as long as you balance your choices. A specific food is neither "good" nor "bad"; rather, it's your total daily diet that counts.

1. Serving sizes are now standard for similar foods. All other information on the label is related to serving size.
   
   
2. Calories and Calories from Fat are shown. The non-fat calories include carbohydrate and protein.
   
   
3. Total Fat, Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated and Saturated Fat represent the grams of fat in a single serving. Some products may not have all of these listed. Look for the term monounsaturated and select the best sources like olives and olive oil.
   
   
4. Total Carbohydrate lists the amount in grams per serving.
   
   
5. % Daily Value shows how foods fit into a daily diet of 2,000 calories. For example, the % Daily Value column shows the fat in a serving compared to 65 grams of fat - the amount recommended for a 2,000 calorie a day diet.
   
   

Monounsaturated Fats: A Nutritious Choice
Select your fat sources wisely, by decreasing consumption of foods high in saturated fats and choosing foods high in monounsaturated fats more often.

California Ripe Olives are a good source of monounsaturated fat. There are only two grams of fat in a 15 gram serving, with the majority of fat coming from monounsaturates and part of the remaining fats being essential fatty acids. One serving contains only three percent of your total fat intake for the day. Contrary to what you may think, olives are not high in calories. In fact, an extra large Black Ripe Olive has only seven calories - and a serving equal to only 25 calories! This makes olives an ideal snack or ingredient for adding flavor and variety to the lower fat meals you prepare.