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Home » Diet » Prune the (saturated) fat from your diet – The Wilson Times

Cassidy Hall

By Cassidy Hall

We live in a world full of dietary advice at our fingertips, but, unfortunately, that advice is not always received from experts. In my Extension role, participants often clue me in on trendy dietary advice. Currently, healthy fat is a hot topic. What are healthy fats? Should we still be pruning fat from our diets or is that old news?

Lets start with discussing if we should be pruning fat from our diets the answer is it depends. Our bodies require fat as a source of energy. Fat is essential for our bodies to absorb nutrients, produce hormones, it helps to protect the organs and aids in keeping us warm, according to the American Heart Association.

We absolutely need fat, but like calories, all fats are not equal. This leads to the question of determining which fats are healthy fats. Healthy fats tend to come from plant sources with a few exceptions. Olive oil, canola oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados are examples of healthy fats that come from plants. Notice that I did not include coconut oil. Tropical oils such as palm oil and coconut oil are sources composed primarily of saturated fat which make them solid at room temperature. Coconut oil is all the rage right now, trending as a healthy fat. This claim is not backed by science, the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the American Heart Association. Why not?

When you read the label, coconut oil has 14g of total fat. Of the 14g of total fat, 13g are saturated. When you compare this solid fat to olive oil, olive oil also has 14g of total fat, but only 2-2.5g of saturated fat. Due to the difference in saturated fat content, coconut oil is solid at room temperature while olive oil remains liquid. Thus, healthy fats are liquid at room temperature.

According to the AHA, saturated fat leads to increased LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, while unsaturated fats can help improve cholesterol levels by increasing HDL (good) cholesterol. So how much is too much fat? Again, it depends.

A family member recently took an online quiz to see what recommendations shed be given if she chose to follow the ketogenic diet. Let me pause to mention that this keto diet is not backed by medical professionals or dieticians due to its extreme fat content and negative effect on kidney function.

The quiz results revealed that based on a 1,200 calorie diet, my family member should consume 97g of fat. This is far off from the American Heart Associations recommendations. According to the American Dietary Guidelines, no more than 65g of total fat are recommended for a 2,000 calorie diet. The American Journal of Nutrition recommends between 20% to 30% of calories should come from total fat. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 5% to 6% of calories should come from saturated fat.

There are 9 calories per gram of fat, so based on a 2,000 calorie diet, no more than 120 calories should come from saturated fat which equates to about 13g of saturated fat. Keep in mind that 2,000 calories is the average recommendation for adult males. Women, on average, require 1,800 calories.

Swapping fats during cooking is a first step in reducing your saturated fat consumption. Instead of using butter or coconut oil, use liquid oils. When making your dairy selections, choosing low-fat or light dairy helps you to get the same protein, calcium and nutrients without the saturated fat and extra calories. Choose lean cuts of meat with less marbling and visible fat as well as more beans, nuts and seeds. Pruning the (saturated) fat from your diet is a huge step in heart-health maintenance.

Asparagus is entering into its season of availability this month. Get your taste of healthy fats and eating seasonally with this delicious recipe that also works well for grilling, and pair asparagus with grilled or baked fish for a heart-healthy meal perfect for spring. Feel free to add a splash of lemon juice for an added twist.

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Prune the (saturated) fat from your diet - The Wilson Times

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Home » Diet » Prune the (saturated) fat from your diet – The Wilson Times