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Molly Morgan, our registered dietician, is the author of To Your Healthy Life.Style. Here you'll find past month's articles containing helpful advice and information on healthy eating, dairy foods, and Crowley products. MAY 2005Keeping Your Heart HealthyHeart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, responsible for approximately 696,947 deaths. There are many factors to having a healthy heart. One component is moderating fat intake and carefully choosing the types of fat you consume. It is important to monitor your fat intake because excess can lead to elevated blood cholesterol levels (known as hypercholesterolemia), which can lead to a heart attack. Good Fats & Bad FatsBelieve it or not, there is such a thing as "good" types of fat. They are known as unsaturated fats: polyunsaturated (PUFA) and monounsaturated fats (MUFA), these are the fats that are healthier for your heart! Polyunsaturated fats are found in foods such as: safflower oil, sunflower oil, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, corn, and soybeans. Monounsaturated fats are found in foods such as: olives, olive oil, peanuts, canola oil, and avocados. Even when consuming heart healthy fats, it is important to remember that moderating total fat intake is important. For average healthy persons, total fat intake should be between about 25-35% of total calories. Example: If consuming 1800 calories that would be equal to 50 to 70 total grams of fat per day. "Bad" fats are trans fat and saturated fat, which have been proven to increase blood cholesterol levels. These types of fat should be eaten in limited quantities and avoided when possible. Saturated fats primarily come from animal sources like: poultry fat, veal, beef, beef fat, cheese, whole milk, butter, and cream. Plant sources of saturated fat include: palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone limit saturated fat to less than 7-10% of total calories. Example: If you were eating 1800 calories a day this range would be equal to approximately 14 to 20 grams of saturated fat or less per day. Studies have shown that trans fat increases "bad" blood cholesterol levels (LDL - low-density lipoprotein) and decreases "good" blood cholesterol levels (HDL - high-density lipoprotein). Most trans fats come from the process of hydrogenating unsaturated oils. This is where hydrogen is added to the unsaturated fat during processing and in turn, changes the structure of the fat to a trans form. The trans form of fat is more shelf stable and it can also enhance the texture of the product. One way to tell if a product has trans fat in it is to look at the ingredient statement on the products. If you see the words "partially hydrogenated oil," this means that the product contains trans fat. Foods such as: commercially prepared baked goods (e.g. cakes, cookies, crackers), fried foods (e.g. doughnuts, French fries), and margarine have trans fats. There are a few foods that contain naturally occurring trans fat. These foods are: beef, pork, lamb, butterfat, and milk. Just for a quick example, in a large order of French fries there is approximately 6.8 grams of trans fats! When shopping today you will find that many processed foods contain trans fat. Become a label reader and choose most often products that do not contain partially hydrogenated oils! Good news: By January 1, 2006, all foods must list trans fat on the food label, which will aid in determining the trans fat content of a food item. There is no recommended amount of trans fats to consume, the less the better. Limiting and avoiding trans fat is a good goal to set to keep your heart healthy! For more information on trans fat, go to: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qatrans2.html. If you have heart disease or have a family history of heart disease, talk with your health care provider about going on a heart healthy diet. For more details about heart healthy eating, go to: www.americanheart.org. |
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Your Guide To Choosing Fat-Free & Low-Fat Dairy Foods:Keep heart health at the top of your mind, and while shopping choose most often Crowley products that are low fat or fat-free. Use the list of foods below as a guide to choosing heart healthy Crowley dairy products:
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The information provided on our Web site is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, or cure an illness. Before starting a diet or exercise program, Crowley recommends you talk with your health care provider for consultation on what is right for you and your health. |
