Nutrition you need to know: Fats

I just wanted to take the time to share all the nutritional information that I have been learning. I hope this is helpful and encourages you all to make a change towards a healthier lifestyle.

Why we need fat: Fat in our diet helps us absorb fat-soluble vitamins that are essential to our health and well-being (Vitamins A, E, D, and K)

The Right Fat:

This actually was something new for me but canola oil is actually a healthy fat that is good to use and I will explain why.
Canola oil is full of omega 3 fats!
This helps to...
-Lower LDL cholesterol (which is the bad cholesterol that clogs our arteries)
Cholesterol is something we all need to pay attention to and most people don't until they either are having problems with it or are getting older and are told by their doctors. This effects us and our children and needs to be a big focus is our diet.
-Canola Oil also has a balanced amount of omega 3 and omega 6 fats. These are two types of polyunsaturated fats and are the healthy fats that we need to live day to day. A balance of these two fats provides for optimal protection from diseases.

Olive Oil is another healthy fat that we could incorporate into our diet. People who regularly consume olive oil actually live longer.
-Olive oil has the healthy monounsaturated fats and beneficial plant compounds.
-It helps to lower rates of heart disease and cancer.
-It lowers the LDL Cholesterol
-The healthy plant compounds in olive oil are phenols. These have very strong antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects.
-To spell this out clearer it means it promotes heart health, and protects against cancer.

The Fats you DONT want:
Saturated and Trans fats are nasty! 
-Saturated fats cause the LDL cholesterol in your blood to increase.
  -This increases heart attack and stroke, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's.
Saturated fats are found in high fat milk products and fatty meats:
 -Butter, cream, ice cream
 -burgers, hotdogs, sausages, bologna, and chicken wings
You don't have to become vegetarian to avoid saturated fats you just have to choose lean meats and low fat milk products.
-Also Coconut, palm oil, and lard should be avoided because these are high in saturated fats.
Trans Fats- Stiffen the arteries and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
-Trans fats are found in:
 -processed foods like cookies, crackers, chips, microwave popcorn, and hydrogenated margarine.
 --You can buy trans fat free versions of these. (I like the salt-free becel margarine)
 -Deep fried foods, like french fries, donuts, and chicken nuggets are a major source of trans fats.

When choosing your heart-healthy margarine look for
 -non-hydrogenated  (trans fat free)
 -Low in saturated fat (2g or less per serving)
 -at least 0.4g omega 3 fats per serving
  --Use the margarine to replace butter too.


Your Daily fat Quota: 
consume 3-6 servings of healthy fats each day.
A few examples are:
-olive and canola oil
-nuts and flax seeds
-olives, avocado, natural peanut butter.