Facts about Fat.....

Let's talk about the good side of dietary fat. When we eat fat, it helps to make us feel full and satisfied. Fat is an essential component of the membranes of all the cells in our body and provide a protective cover for our nerves. Eating fat with meals also helps us absorb our fat soluble vitamins (A,D, E & K). Omega 3 & Omega 6 fats are essential, which means our bodies can't make them, but we must have them. Eating some healthy fat at every meal is good, but it is important to pick the right fats. Here are some guidelines to help:

• Liquid at room temperature = good (examples: olive oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil)
• Solid at room temp = bad (examples: shortening & most margarine)
• All trans fat should be avoided as much as possible (found in processed foods & most margarine)
• Saturated fats should be limited. Saturated fats are found in meat & dairy, so chose lean meat or low fat dairy products.
• Eat foods high in omega 3 fatty acids such as salmon, tuna, walnuts and flax seed.
• Don't fry foods.

It is fine for 30% of your day's calories to come from fat. For example, if you need 1800 calories/day, you can eat 60 grams of fat each day. (1800 calories x 30% / 9 calories/gram of fat = 60 grams). To give you an idea of how much this is....one tablespoon of oil =14 grams of fat and two tablespoons of peanut butter = 16 grams of fat.

Fats are complex, so there is much more to say....we will continue with more fun facts about fat over the next few blog posts. Please let me know if you have questions.

To learn more about fat, follow this link  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262