The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Fats)
By Hklbrries
THE GOOD: Polyunsaturated and mononunsaturated fats.
Daily Dose: 32 g to 52 g. Have peanut butter (2 tbsp) on toast for breakfast (14 g), salad tossed with 1 tbsp olive oil for lunch (12 g) and a salmon burger for dinner (11 g).
Where to find polyunsaturated fats: salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, herring, trout, shellfish, walnuts, flaxseed, sunflower seeds and some vegetable oils (soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower).
The majority of the fat you eat should be polyunsaturated, which can lower your cholesterol by 19% and LDL (bad cholesterol) by about 22%.
Where to find monounsaturated fats: avocados, peanut butter and some vegetable oils (olive, canola, peanuts, sesame, sunflower).
Replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats can reduce total cholesterol by 12% and LDL by 15%.
THE BAD: Saturated fats.
Daily dose: Less than 16 g. That's going to add up fast: 1 cup of ice cream (15 g), one Quarter Pounder (14 g). Common culprits: red meats, full-fat dairy foods and some vegetable oils (palm, coconut).
The more saturated fat in your diet, the higher your cholesterol will be.
THE UGLY: Trans fats.
Daily dose: Less than 2 g. Two toaster pastries (2 g) or 1 cup of buttered microwave popcorn (3 g) already push you over the limit. It's best to avoid trans fats. Common culprits: many fried foods and packaged items (chips, cookies, crackers, breads, baked goods, dessert toppings, margarine). Foods labeled "0 grams trans fat" can contain up to .5 g per serving if the words "partially hydrogenated oil" or "shortening" are on the ingredient list. (Most people eat more than one serving).
Trans fats are the worst offenders when it comes to cholesterol. They lower HDL (good) and boost total and LDL. For every 2% increase in calories from trans fats that you eat, your heart disease risk climbs 23%.
THE FATS:
THE UGLY: Keep packaged foods and baked goods to a minimum.
THE BAD: Full-fat dairy products and red meats should play a very small role in your diet.
THE GOOD: Swap out the bad fats above and swap in healthy fats, like those found in peanut butter, and you'll lower your overall cholesterol.
Ingredients
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Preparation
Step 1
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