Written by COURTNEY DRAKE-MCDONOUGH
For a word that contains just three little letters, the term "fat" instantly causes feelings of stress, anxiety and even hatred. There's the fat in our bodies, which we battle constantly. Then there's the fat in our foods, which we are supposed to avoid (to help eliminate the fat in our bodies).
But then we hear confusing information about fat. The American Heart Association, for instance, says that some dietary fats are good for us and are essential to give the body energy, support cell growth, protect organs, absorb nutrients, produce important hormones and even keep the body warm. That sounds very positive!
So what are we to believe? Is there such a thing as "good" fat? If so, how do we know which fats are good and which are bad? How do we know which foods they can be found in? To try to clear things up, we've taken a very basic look at fat to present "Fat 101 class."
First the basics: In food, there are indeed bad fats and good fats. In very simplistic terms, the bad fats found in foods put more fat on our bodies and contribute to a whole host of related health problems. The good fats help us lose and maintain a healthy weight and help keep our bodies functioning the way they should.
Now the specifics: There are four major types of fats in the foods we eat. They each have different chemical structures and physical properties. The bad ones are saturated fats and trans fats, such as a stick of butter or margarine or animal fat, which tend to be more solid at room temperature. The good fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, with omega-3 fatty acids as a subcategory of polyunsaturated.
Monounsaturated fats remain in liquid form at room temperature but may solidify when refrigerated. Polyunsaturated fats keep their liquid form at both room temperature and when refrigerated. Examples include the vegetable oils such as safflower, corn, sunflower and soy. Omega-3s are a super-healthy version of polyunsaturated fats. They are the ones we hear about the most, found in fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and their oil.
Why does the difference matter? Because fats have different effects on the cholesterol levels in the body. A side lesson on cholesterol: "Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among fats circulating in your bloodstream and in all of your body's cells," according to the American Heart Association. Cholesterol comes from animal products you consume, but your body also makes some all on its own. There are two types of cholesterol – the good kind and bad kind, just as with fats. To protect the heart from disease, the body should have high levels of the good kind and low levels of the bad kind.
Back to fats. The good fats, – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated – actually lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood. Conversely, the bad fats, saturated and trans fats, raise the bad cholesterol levels. The main point here is that consuming the good kinds of fats keeps us healthy. Consuming the bad fats make us unhealthy. Pretty straightforward so far.
Now that we understand the basics, how do we know what to eat to get the beneficial fats in our diet while eliminating the detrimental ones? Richard Collins, M.D., director of heart disease prevention and wellness at South Denver Cardiology Associates in Denver, shows people how NOT to need a cardiologist. "I think of myself as a forest ranger versus a firefighter," says Dr. Collins. Through classes and demonstrations, Dr. Collins is known as the "cooking cardiologist," showing people how to cook right.
"We try to educate people against just saying 'good food and bad food'," Dr. Collins says. Instead, he gives practical, real-life guidelines such as these: Eat real, good-quality food ("don't eat within 200 feet of a gas pump, which eliminates most fast food"); eat smaller portions, considering calories; and incorporate more "plants" (fruits and vegetables) in the diet.
"We live in what I call a calorie-dense society, which is very different from our eating habits years ago," Dr. Collins explains, noting that a lot of calories can be packed into a small amount of food, which doesn't fill us up and leaves us wanting more. The key then, is volume: "food that fills you up and makes you feel full without consuming too many calories." Examples he cites include vegetables (green leafy, beans, broccoli and cauliflower), fat-free milk and whole grains and fiber (25-30 grams of fiber a day). Dr. Collins says the general public falls well below the right fiber levels because we usually think of fiber only with breakfast foods. But fiber can be included all day in easy ways, such as eating whole fruits and vegetables and not their juices or purees.
In addition to volume, consuming protein also makes our bodies feel full, but we have to be careful with that too. The fat in protein comes as much from its preparation as its type or form. People always think of chicken as being very lean, but "certain chicken dishes, like Cashew Chicken, can have as much fat as a steak," says Dr. Collins. As a general guideline when shopping, if a meat package says "round" or "loin," it will be a leaner cut. Other ways to decrease the amount of fat in proteins include avoiding coatings (breading or flour) and deep-fat frying, removing the skin on poultry and passing up heavy sauces.
Another thing to consider is that fats have calories – all of them, even the good ones – which have to come into play when balancing caloric intake. There are nine calories in every gram of every kind of fat. Compare that to four calories per gram in carbohydrates and proteins. That means that we can't go overboard on incorporating the good fats into our diets just because they are beneficial. When they start adding a lot of calories to our intake, they begin to negate the benefits. So, like we've always been told – everything in moderation, even the healthy stuff.
But wait. What about all the buzz we hear about restaurants now making everything "trans fat-free"? Does that mean we can still have our fried chicken or fries without doing ourselves harm? Nope (you knew it couldn't be that easy).
"Foods labeled 'zero trans fats' or cooked with 'trans fat-free' oils may still contain a lot of saturated fats, which raise your bad cholesterol levels," according to the American Heart Association. "Trans fat-free" foods may also be unhealthy in terms of their general nutritional content, such as with baked goods that say they are trans fat-free but are still high in added sugar and low in nutrients.
Lastly, the American Heart Association provides these overall good tips: "Remember to balance the amount of calories you eat with the amount of calories you burn." In agreement with Dr. Collins, AHA says to "Aim to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole-grain/high-fiber foods, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry and fish (at least twice a week). Doing so means that your diet will be low in both saturated fats and trans fats."
Flourless Chocolate Torte
1 can (15 oz.) black soybeans, Eden Organic®
found in health food stores
4 egg equivalents, 8 oz. Egg Beaters® or similar substitute
1 1/2 cups sugar or replace with
3/4 cup Splenda® Sugar Blend
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
Note: For high-altitude cooking, reduce baking powder to 1/4 t. and increase baking temperature to 375 degrees. Cooking Splenda® at high altitude will change texture.
Raspberry sauce:
1 pint raspberry sorbet
1 T. cornstarch in 3 T. water
1 (6-ounce) package fresh raspberries, plus mint leaves for garnish.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees or 375 at higher altitudes. Place drained, rinsed beans in a food processor and puree until smooth. With the processor running, pour in the egg substitute. The fiber in the bean will not blend, so texture will not be entirely smooth. This is normal. Add sugar, baking powder, vanilla and cocoa. Blend to combine ingredients. Coat a 9" non-stick cake pan with vegetable spray. Pour in batter. Bake on center rack for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. The surface should be firm yet spongy.
Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan. Bring the torte to room temperature. The torte tastes best cooled fully. It is more moist and dense the next day. For the raspberry sauce, heat the raspberry sorbet in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Add the cornstarch to thicken. Serve over the torte and garnish with mint leaves.
Blueberry Almond Turtles
4 ounces bittersweet dark chocolate
1 cup fresh blueberries, sorted, washed and dried
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Mix berries into warm chocolate, stirring gently to coat them.
Cover a baking sheet with wax paper. Mound several slivered almonds on the sheet. Using two spoons, lift 6-8 berries in chocolate and place on top of the almonds. Shape each cluster. Repeat to create approximately 24 clusters. Chill for about 45 minutes.
