The UDSA advises getting 25-30% (or less) of our diet from fats. That’s a lot when you think about it! Fats are essential to our health, so severely restricting them is not desirable depsite the low fat advice we get from our healthcare professionals.
Fats from food provide the raw material that help in the control of blood pressure, blood clotting, hormonal balance and other bodily functions. They also supply essential fats (those that cannot be made by the body) and when chosen carefully can actually assist with weight loss even though fats have over twice the number of calories as proteins or carbohydrates.
Saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high LDL (bad) cholesteral. The USDA recommends limiting your intake of saturated fats to 10% (or less) of total fat intake. These fats are found mostly in animal foods and some plants. Animal sources high in saturated fats include most animal meats, butter, whole dairy products, cream and cheeses. Plant sources include coconut oil, palm kernel oil and cocoa butter.
Trans fatty acids are formed when vegetable oil hardens (a process called hydrogenation). These are even less desirable than saturated fats and should be avoided. Trans fatty acids raise LDL (bad) cholesteral and lower HDL (good) cholesteral and are associated with many degenerative diseases.
Unsaturated fats, when used in place of saturated fats, can help lower blood cholesteral. While these are considered good fats, they are still high in calories. Unsaturated fats are usually liquid at room temperature whereas saturated fats are hard. There are two types of unsaturated fats:
*Monounsaturated fats can be found in olive oil and canola oil, flaxseed, olives and avacados. The UDSA recommends mono-unsaturated fats make up 10% of your diet.
*Polyunsaturated fats can be found in cold water fish and flaxeed,sunflower,corn,soybean,safflower and cottonseed oils. Again, 10% of your diet should come from polyunsaturated fats.
There are several unsaturated fats and fatty acids that are excellent for your overall health. The best known are the omega-3 fatty acids which can be found in cold water fish and flaxseed oil. They have been found to protect against many degenerative diseases and to aid in weight loss.
In summary, limit saturated fats and avoid trans fatty acids. Twenty percent of your diet should be split between poly- unsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. If you don’t have a direct dietary source of omega-3’s take a few fish oil caps each day.
About the Author
Dr. Lanny Schaffer is an Exercise Physiologist and the President of The International Fitness Academy. For more cutting edge fitness and nutritional advice go to http://www.aerobic-exercise-coach.com
Remember your childhood when your family gathered together to eat a home cooked dinner? As a kid, I loved dinnertime. I could count on an abundance of good food and conversation. This was a time we talked about our day and shared what was on our mind.
It seems that in recent years we eat on the run. Few of us actually sit down together as a family to enjoy nutritious food, lovingly prepared. At the same time we have also lost our sacred connection to the food that sustains us.
Food has always been linked to the Divine. Eating can be a spiritual as well as physical experience. Religions across the globe teach that food is a gift from the Divine, to be treated with respect and gratitude. They recognize that food is more than fuel for the body. They believe in mindful planning and preparation and consumption of food, insist on the necessity to show gratitude for the food and sanctify the ritual of eating with loved ones. The African American culture has a tradition of “soul food” (food cooked with love, intent, intention and a sense of history). Researchers have shown that how food is prepared affects not only the taste but also the nutritional value of the food. Thus some foods are called “mood foods” since they enhance a sense of well-being. Food prepared fresh, with love, has more vital energy than hastily prepared and processed foods. Don’t believe it? Well see the movie “Simply Irresistible.” The movie does a delightful and entertaining job of demonstrating how the emotions of the chef were communicated through the food to the patrons who ate the food.
Most of us are time starved. We work, shuttle kids, and have many demands on our time and energy. How do we make mealtimes special again?
Here are some simple and inexpensive suggestions for creating a “soulful meal.”
* Plan your menu in advance.
* Choose the freshest ingredients.
* Say a prayer or blessing before your begin. Hold your hands over the ingredients and offer thanks for them for giving their life for you and your family. Visualize their giving, how they grew, who tended them, the harvest and ask them to nourish you are your family.
* Prepare the meal with love and attentiveness.
* Think of cooking as alchemy; remember you are using each of the four elements as you prepare the meal.
o Earth – Raw ingredients
o Air – As you beat, stir or cut
o Water – To cook
o Fire – Heat from the stove or oven
* Add a blessing for all who will eat your food.
* Use fresh herbs when you can – remember that herbs have a myriad of healing properties. For example, rosemary is used for protection and ; dill for prosperity and sage for wisdom.
* Set the table with care. This is a great place to involve the kids. Let them be creative. Add candles, flowers or any other decorations that you or the kids come up with.
* Play gentle music in the background (no TV!)
* Hold hands around the table and offer thanks for the abundance of the food and for the good things in your life.
* Eat mindfully, linger, smell the fragrances, savor the flavors, appreciate the textures. Slowing down also helps the body catch up and creates a feeling of fullness sooner which helps minimize overeating.
* Linger over conversation. Sit and connect with your family. One thing we do that I have really enjoyed is to ask each person to share a really good thing that happened that day.
* Clean up as a family – with mindfulness and gratitude. Add a few drops of mandarin oil in your dishwater. It will cheer the senses.
If you live alone or have the occasion to dine alone, pamper your soul and honor sacred mealtime in your own good company.
Bon Appetite!
About the Author
Mr. Krajovic earned his BS from Bucknell University and MBA from The Pennsylvania State University. As a CPA, he offers financial consulting services and has worked extensively in the corporate world including most recently as the Chief Financial Officer of an automotive supplier. A nationally certified massage therapist with advanced training in many alternative healing techniques, he is available for speaking engagements on a variety of health and wellness subjects, including energy healing therapy especially as they relate to the corporate world. Currently he works with clients, conducts seminars and teaches classes at his clinic, BodyWorks Healing Center in Plymouth, Michigan with his wife Pat.
