Sunday, February 21, 2010

FAT: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Fat free, low fat, zero trans fat, high in omega-3s, low in saturated fat...........with all these health claims, it can often be confusing to make a healthy food choice when it comes down to the fat in your food.

We all know that eating too much fat is not good for our health.  But did you know that certain types of fat are essential for our body?  Let's simplify the different categories of fat.

The Good:
Everyone knows that olive oil is the "good" oil to cook with.  It has developed this reputation because olive oil contains a type of fat known as monounsaturated fat.  This type of fat has been shown to be heart healthy--it reduces the amount of total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) in your blood.  Other foods that contain monounsaturated fat include avocados, nuts and seeds.

Another type of good fat is polyunsaturated fat, also known as omega-3 or omega-6.  Omega-3s, in particular, are especially beneficial for heart health.  They are considered essential as we cannot manufacture them in our body.  Omega-3s have been shown to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing the chance of forming blood clots.  Omega-3 rich oils are found in fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring) or flax seed oil, chia seeds, and walnuts.

In order to consume enough Omega-3s, it is recommended to eat 2 servings of fatty fish per week.   With exception of my sushi dinners, I rarely eat much fish.  Instead, I take Omega-3 supplements made from fish oil.  Some great brands are the following:  Ascenta or NutriSea, and Carlson.  These brands are made from cold-water fatty fish and are guaranteed to be molecularly distilled and free from mercury.

The Bad:
Reducing your intake of saturated fat is important in a heart healthy diet.  Saturated fats are derived from animal products (meat), or dairy products (butter, cheese).  This type of fat has been shown to clog your arteries and raise cholesterol levels.  Unless you are a strict vegetarian, it is often difficult to avoid this type of fat but just remember to eat it in moderation.

The Ugly:
Trans fats should be avoided at all costs.  These fats are used to extend the shelf life of many processed foods (cookies, cakes).  Since January of 2006, food manufacturers have had to legally label the amount of trans fats in their products--this has also forced many manufacturers to change their formulas and recipes to healthier options without the trans fats.  Avoid any product that lists "hydrogenated" in its ingredient list, as this means that there is trans fat in the product.

Choose your fats wisely.  As a general rule, liquid fats (mono, polyunsaturated) are better for you than solid fats (saturated, trans).

It is also important to remember that although some fats can be good for your health, they all contain the same amount of calories, so use them in small quantities if you are looking for weight loss.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Fibre Basics

Ever wonder why eating fibre makes you feel bloated, flatulent and uncomfortable?  There are a few reasons to explain this phenomenon, and it requires knowing about the different types of fibre.

Fibre can be categorized into two types:  insoluble and soluble.

Insoluble fibre is the most common form, and it is the one that most people recognize as the typical form of fibre.  Examples of insoluble fibre include oat bran, wheat bran, flax seeds, and whole grains.  This type of fibre is hard to digest and therefore, works like a scrub in your large intestine.  It scrapes along the intestinal tract and then pushes the stool out of your colon.   It's also known as "bulk" or "roughage."

Soluble fibre is very different than insoluble fibre.  This type of fibre dissolves easily and absorbs water.  Examples of this type of fibre include psyllium, inulin, and acacia gum.  In your large intestine, it turns into a gel and acts like a sponge.  Soluble fibre absorbs a large amount of water and increases the size of your stool by bulking up the total mass.  Because of the larger stool size, it promotes the muscle movement of your large intestine (a process called peristalsis) and this helps to push the larger stool out of your body.

In some cases, because soluble fibre absorbs water, it may end up constipating you if you do not drink enough water.  In fact, soluble fibre is given as a treatment for diarrhea as well as for constipation!  It is also recommended as a natural treatment for lowering cholesterol levels and weight loss, topics that I will discuss in the future.

To remember the two forms of fibre, I like to think of an orange.  When you cut open an orange, the white stringy stuff is an example of insoluble fibre.  The orange gel-like fleshy stuff is an example of soluble fibre.

It's important for you to consume both types of fibre on a daily basis.  We should be getting about 25 to 30 grams of fibre on a daily basis, but we typically only eat about 15 to 20 grams.  When you quickly increase your fibre intake, that's where the bloating and discomfort occur.  Your body is just not used to the high levels of fibre, so go slowly.  Once you're at the right levels, you should no longer feel bloated or puffy.

A great cereal to try is Kellogg's Bran Buds, which has both forms of fibre in a high quantity per serving.  In addition to eating it as a cereal, I try to sprinkle it on salad, use them as croutons for soup, or throw them into a smoothie.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Butter vs Margarine?

This is probably one of the most common misconceptions out there regarding food and nutrition.  Which is better--butter or margarine?  Let me explain.

Butter is a source of naturally occurring saturated fat.  It is made from cow's milk and is made from cream.  Very fatty, but delicious.  To simplify,  eating too much saturated fat can lead to clogged arteries, which can increase one's risk of developing cardiovascular problems, such as coronary artery disease, or high cholesterol.

Margarine is available in a variety of options.  They are all made from vegetable oils, which is liquid at room temperature.  In order to solidify the oil to mimic the texture of butter, a process called hydrogenation needs to occur.   This process means chemically changing the molecule by adding hydrogen atoms.  Unfortunately, hydrogenation creates "trans fats", which also have long term consequences on heart health, such as clogging arteries.

Now which option is better?

The best choice would be an unhydrogenated margarine, where this process of hydrogenation does not occur and there would be no trans fats in the product.  An example would be Becel, or Earth Balance.
I find that Earth Balance tastes incredibly similar to butter, and is a 100% vegan formula.  Also works well for baking recipes.  

Hot Nutrition Topics

After much hemming and hawing, I have decided to follow the advice of all my friends and family: START A BLOG!!

Let me introduce myself:

I'm a Registered Dietitian, with my Masters in Applied Human Nutrition. I have spent my entire life (as far back as I can remember) in the food and nutrition industry. In addition, I grew up in a health food store (my family's business), and have an extensive knowledge about functional foods, herbal supplements, and nutraceuticals.

Because I have been immersed in both spectrums of the nutrition scale (east and west), I have identified a serious gap in the field of nutrition. There are very few dietitians that know about herbal supplements or holistic nutrition, and likewise, there are very few self-proclaimed "holistic" nutritionists that agree with the scientific fundamentals of nutritional science. I believe that both spectrums can complement eachother to achieve an optimal state of nutritional health.

After years of dishing out free nutrition advice to those who know me, I have decided to share some of my knowledge with the rest of you. It's all about education, because the more you know, the more you can apply your learning to your lifestyle, by making healthier food choices and influencing others.