Fat 101 – The Fundamentals of Fitness Nutrition by Liz Applegate PH. D
According to Liz Applegate authour of Eat Smart, Play Hard, says "To boost the right amounts of fats in your diet, you need to understand exactly where the right and wrong fats come from."
Here is a short summary of Applegates…"simple fat primer:"
Omega – 3 fat. Good essential fat. Helps protect you from heart disease, certain types of cancers. Good food sources include fresh salmon, mackerel, tuna, flaxseed meal and oil. Other oils can be found in nuts, canola, and soybeans.
Omega – 6 fat. Good essential fats in low doses no more than about a third of your total daily intake (about 20 grams or less). These fatty acids are found in corn, sunflower, and other vegetable oils and are crucial for healthy skin and brain function.
Monounsaturated fat. Definitely a good fat found in olive, canola, peanut oils and avocados. Use these oils in cooking to help lower cholesterol spread avocado as a great substitute for using margarine, butter or sour cream.
Saturated fat. Bad fat. Raises risk of heart disease. These products are typically prepared in vegetable shortening or lard. . Keep your intake to fewer than 20 grams daily.
Trans fat. Found in your processed foods such as crackers, chips, margarine, and fast foods. These fats are formed when vegetable oils are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated, No limit has been set for this fat but should be counted in your saturated fat budget of 20 grams or less daily.
For more information on this subject seek out Liz Applegate’s Encyclopedia of Sports & Fitness Nutrition.
