Health Link

Get the skinny on fat

Story by Lynn Haley and Debbie Olsen

With health warnings about heart disease, obesity and cancer, Canadians are cutting back on fat. We look for low-fat foods to replace everyday favourites – we’re even munching on low-fat potato chips and snacks. But are we going over the top on fat management?

You might be surprised to know that eating the right fats can actually help your heart and your arteries, reduce the risk of developing some forms of cancer, and help to reduce joint pain if you suffer from arthritis.“Most of the clients I work with know they should decrease fat in their diet; however, many are shocked when I suggest they should toss away the concept of eating everything low-fat,” says Andrea Holwegner, a registered dietician and president of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. “Consuming a healthy amount of foods like nuts, seeds, olive oil, dairy products, lean meats, canola oil, avocados and fatty fish is good for both preventative health and for managing a wide variety of health-related concerns.”

Before you head off to fat heaven, Holwegner has some sound advice. Learn to read food labels, understand the different kinds of fat and their affect on your body.

The Language of Labels

New mandatory regulations for the labelling of packaged food products in Canada are about to make deciphering the fat and nutrient contents of foods much easier. In the next three to five years, packaged food products will be required to carry information on 13 key nutrients including a distinction between saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. In fact, Canada’s new food nutrition labels will be the most detailed in the world. “We are the first country to make trans-fat labelling mandatory,” said Dr.Margaret Cheney, director of nutrition evaluation for Health Canada. “And we are the first country which has split up the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids so consumers can make more informed choices.”

Health Canada has estimated the health benefit accruing from the new labelling programs to be in the $5 billion range over the next 20 years. This will be coming from reductions in the direct and indirect costs associated with the four major diseases – cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.

Fat 101

Fat is a vital nutrient for energy and normal growth and development. It provides essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. In fact, new research is showing that having a diet low in certain essential fatty acids can actually increase the risk of heart disease! So what’s a fat-conscious person to do? Get the skinny on fat.

Cholesterol Clues

Cholesterol and fat both belong to a chemical group called lipids. Dietary cholesterol is found in foods of animal origin, like meats, dairy products and egg yolks. Dietary cholesterol plays a small role in determining the body’s total cholesterol levels, but the liver synthesizes the majority of the cholesterol in the body.Cholesterol and fat travel in the bloodstream in packagescalled lipoproteins. Cholesterol is carried in the blood stream by either low-density lipoproteins (LDL-cholesterol) or high-density lipoproteins (HDL-cholesterol). Research has shown that high levels of LDL-cholesterol increase the risk of heart disease, while high levels of HDLcholesterol seem to have a protective effect against cardiovascular disease.

Trans Fat - Keep Your Distance!

Trans fats or hydrogenated fats are unsaturated fats whose chemical structure has been changed to make them hard.Hard margarine, deep-fried fast foods, commercially baked pastries and desserts, cookies and crackers are the main sources of trans fat in the average diet.Hydrogenated fats raise LDL-cholesterol and may also lower HDL-cholesterol, making them real culprits for heart disease.Recent research shows that hydrogenated vegetable oils raise blood cholesterol levels more than any other kinds of dietary fat.

Saturated fat - Go Easy

All fats are a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats. Saturated fat is found in foods of animal origin (meats, cheese, eggs and dairy products) and in coconut and palm oils. Some, but certainly not all, saturated fats have been linked to elevated levels of LDL-cholesterol. But don’t rush to the conclusion that you should avoid meat, dairy and eggs altogether. Dairy fat has not been linked to heart disease and, in fact, is a good source of CLA – conjugated linoleic acid – a type of fat found in dairy and some meats that may reduce the risk of many kinds of cancer.

Monounsaturated Fat– Heart Healthy

Monounsaturated fats are considered to be one of the healthiest types of fat because they reduce LDL-cholesterol levels while maintaining or even increasing the levels of HDL-cholesterol in the body. These types of fats are found in canola oil or olive oil and some types of nuts and seeds.

Polyunsaturated Fat - The Omega Mystique

Polyunsaturated fats reduce the levels of both LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol. In terms of their effect on blood cholesterol, they are seen as healthier than saturated fat but less healthy than monounsaturated fat.However,within the polyunsaturated fat group are two very important essential fatty acids:

Omega-6 Fatty Acids

Omega-6 essential fatty acids are found in cereals, eggs, poultry, most vegetable oils, wholegrain breads, baked goods and some margarines. Plus, Omega-6 fatty acids can reduce aches and pains of inflamed joints, relieve some discomforts of PMS, endometriosis and fibrocystic breasts, and improve common skin conditions like acne, eczema and psoriasis.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 essential fatty acids are found mainly in fatty cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna and are also in flaxseed, canola and soybean oils. Omega-3 fatty acids have protective effects against both coronary heart disease and stroke and have been shown to also protect against high blood pressure and inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.

Our bodies cannot synthesize essential fatty acids so they must come from our diets. Both types are essential for good health, but over the past 40-50 years experts believe that eating habits have changed and most people are getting too little omega-3 and too much omega-6. The Dietary Reference Intake (adequate intake) for omega-3 fatty acids is 1.6 grams for men and 1.1 grams for women. It’s easy – just two to three servings per week of fatty cold-water fish like tuna, salmon or mackerel will do it.

Confused?

Don’t be. Just follow Canada’s Food Guide for Healthy Living, include regular servings of the good stuff – monounsaturated fats and omega-3s – eat a balanced diet and get out for a good brisk walk to clear your head!

Health Tip

Keep Your Kids Healthy

1. Dietary fat is important for proper brain development in small children, but no more than 30% of your child’s total calories should come from fat.
2. Increase your child’s-self esteem by emphasizing their positive attributes rather than focussing on their body weight.
3. Snacks can be part of a healthy diet for children and may make up as much as 30% of a child’s daily calorie intake. Be careful not to offer snacks too close to meal times and to have healthy, nutrient dense snacks readily available.
4. Don’t use food for comfort or for rewards. For example, using desserts as a reward for finishing a meal teaches children to value sweets more than other foods.
5. Don’t make your child eat when he or she is not hungry. It shouldn’t matter if some food is left on the plate. Encourage your child to try different tastes and textures.

There’s no question that paediatric obesity is on the rise in North America.  When it comes to obesity, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Promoting the development of good eating and exercise habits from an early age will help your child have a healthy life.