Reduce your intake of LDL dietary fats and speed up your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
According to the American Heart Association … If you are Black … you are in a distinctive health risk club: Heart Disease is the No. 1 killer for all Americans, and Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death. As frightening as this information is the … the risks of getting these diseases are even higher for African-Americans.
The good news is that we can improve their odds of preventing and beating these diseases by understanding the risks and taking simple steps to address them. High Blood pressure, Obesity, Diabetes are the most common conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Deal with these with nutrition and exercise as ignoring the issues and hiding the symptoms with drugs is not the best answer (side effects).
PLEASE UNDERSTAND … YOU CANNOT ADDRESS THESE ISSUES WITH EXERCISE ALONE … IT REQUIRES LIFESTYLE CHANGES! I AM OPEN TO HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH ANYONE WHO IS CONCERNED!
BACK TO FATS…
THESE ARE ALL CONSIDERATIONS YOU MAKE IN YOUR CHOICES:
A. HEALTH TAKING FATS:
1. Trans Fats:
Trans fats are man-made fats made through a process called “partial hydrogenation”. Unfortunately, the formerly good qualities of the original fats are reversed, and trans fats raise bad cholesterol, lower good cholesterol, raising your risk of stroke and heart disease, and even developing diabetes. These fats are to be avoided at all costs. Manufacturers have begun stamping “0 Grams Trans-Fat” on product labels and these fats are even being banned in some cities (not enough).
NOTE: THIS INCLUDES ALL PRODUCTS THAT CONTAINS TRANS FATS OR PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS IN THEIR INGREDIENTS.
Restaurants, Diners and Fast Food chains … cook mainly with Trans fats:
Restaurants/Diners use trans fats because they are very stable and go the longest without becoming rancid or having a unpleasant smell or taste and ultimately cause illness. (Disposal of large amounts of oils is expensive … Over-night storage of oils used in deep fat frying is difficult and it becoming rancid is an issue) Using it allows food to sit in steam tables and cooking containers for longer periods of times, without the food losing it’s flavor and without making people sick. The problem is that they are solid at 98.6 degrees and intimately make us sick by plugging up our veins arteries.
2. Butter vs Margarine: … really have to read labels … a real slippery slope!
Margarine usually tops butter when it comes to heart health. Margarine is made from vegetable oils, so it contains no cholesterol. Margarine is also higher in “good” fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated — than butter is. These types of fats help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol when substituted for A saturated fat. Butter is made from animal fat, so it contains cholesterol and high levels of saturated fat.
But not all margarines are created equal. Some margarines contain trans fat. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fat it contains. Trans fat, like saturated fat, increases blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fat lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol levels.
Butter substitutes are often chemical laden/trans fat nightmares
So … PASS ON BUTTER/MARGARINE … as an athlete, if you REQUIRE this use of oil in your life (like on veggies) … use MCT Oil.
3. Bacon:
Bacon is exploding in the US. You can actually buy chocolates with a liquid wine center, wrapped in bacon! Pork producers are selling us on the health benefits! Bottom line … 68% of bacon’s calories come from fat, almost half of which is saturated. Each ounce of bacon contributes 30 milligrams of cholesterol (not to mention the cholesterol from the eggs that often accompany bacon.
Eating foods rich in saturated fats can raise your cholesterol levels, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. And if those saturated fat-rich foods are also high in dietary cholesterol, cholesterol levels tend to rise even higher.
The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat to less than 7% of your total calories (that’s less than 16 daily grams of saturated fat for someone eating 2,000 calories a day). So under those guidelines, it might seem sensible to occasionally enjoy a small amount of bacon, or switch to turkey bacon, which is lower in fat and cholesterol or even avoid these types of foods all together.
But here’s the bad news: When it comes to increasing the risk for certain cancers, things get downright scary for bacon lovers. Not only is bacon considered a red meat, it’s also a member of the dreaded “processed meat” group (even turkey bacon falls into this category. And NO amount of processed meat is considered safe to eat, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Processed meat is usually red meat preserved via smoking, curing, or salting and it includes many favorite American foods in addition to bacon … Ham, Sausage, Hot dogs, Bologna, Salami, Pepperoni, Pastrami
4. NUTS:
Nuts are Healthy to an extent … Generally, they contain Unsaturated fats, Omega-3 fatty acids, Fiber, Vitamin E, Plant sterols, and L-arginine. Warning … only eat 6 as a snack as they are high in calories … a SMALL handful can pack your diet with filling protein, fiber, unsaturated fats, and important vitamins and minerals.
5. Soybean Oils:
Soy is very controversial with links to metabolic syndrome and other medical complications! 93% of Soy produced is GMO. Hundreds of studies link modern processed soy to malnutrition, digestive problems, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders, immune system breakdown, and even heart disease and cancer. How could soy be linked to all this disease? Because the soybean contains many naturally occurring toxins. All legumes contain toxins but the problem with soy is that the toxins are found in very high levels and are resistant to the traditional ways of getting rid of them.
6. Cooking oils:
Watch when cooking oils have healthier names like olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocado, safflower, corn, sunflower, soy, mustard and cottonseed oils. Cooking oils are stabilized oils as to not smoke at high temperatures. This might make a healthy name oil unhealthy. Keep in mind … cooking adds 110 calories/tablespoon. Thus a fist sized potato might contain 200 calories … the same potato fried might contain up to 400 calories
7. A Low-Fat Diet
It’s hard to believe that “low-fat” is still a dietary recommendation because science has proven that all fats is not the cause of weight gain or heart disease. In fact, since the introduction of the fat-free diet, the world has gotten more fat and sick than it has ever been before.
Fat is not the enemy. Fat does NOT make you fat. In fact, fat is an absolute must if you want your body to look and feel younger! Why? Because healthy fats are an essential source of good cholesterol, which is KEY to producing the hormones that enhance your youthful qualities. (Not all cholesterol is bad, by the way — good cholesterol is a crucial component of healthy skin tissue, making your skin more supple, glowing, and youthful). If you’re following a low-fat diet, you’re depriving your body of the nutrients it needs to slow aging and keep your youth.
Question your use of all the above mentioned oils. Why … It is killing us!
B. Health Giving Fats
1. MCT Oil
MCT simply stands for medium chain triglycerides, as opposed to long chain triglycerides (LCT), which are found in most foods. MCT oil occurs is fractionated coconut oil (LDL’s) removed. Supplementation with MCT oil began as a fat source to help treat diseases such as cystic fibrosis, obesity, and fat malabsorption. It has also been used to add calories to infant, and certain other formulas. Recently, athletes, bodybuilders, and diet gurus have jumped on the MCT bandwagon, embracing its fat burning and energy sustaining powers. So why are so many claiming this oil is the fuel needed to help burn unwanted body fat? It burns in our system as readily as carbohydrates, and is not stored easily without the body chemically converting it to a storable form … But mainly it is available to athletes to be used for energy when glycogen stores are low!
According to Dr. Laurie Cullen at the Women’s Institute, when MCTs are absorbed into the blood stream, they bypass the digestion process that longer chain fats go through. MCT’s provide quick energy for the body and are thus less likely to be stored in the fat cells. Further, Dr. Cullen says that when a meal includes medium chain triglycerides, there is a significant increase in the number of calories burned (thermogenic effect). When more calories are used, fewer are stored as fat, which helps to reduce body fat levels.
2. Omega-3
A lot of buzz has been created recently about Omega-3 fatty acids, and it’s not difficult to see why. The Omega-3s contain DHA and EPA, which lower bad cholesterol and lower blood pressure.2 There are many sources of Omega-3s, including salmon, canola, olive and flaxseed oils, and walnuts. You can also obtain these via fish oil supplements.
3. Monounsaturated Fats
Another one of the good fat sources are the monounsaturated fats. These are generally considered the best as they do not have many adverse affects associated with them. Also, monounsaturated fats have been linked to lower cholesterol, reductions in heart disease. and obesity. Good sources of this type of fat are: olive oil, almonds, cashews, and avocaados in portioned amounts.
4. Polyunsaturated Fats
Like the monos, polyunsaturated fats are associated with raising good cholesterol and lowering bad cholesterol. These fats are usually liquid at room temperature and in the refrigerator, and good sources include corn, sunflower and soybean oils.
5. Oil free Salad Dressing:
Good oils are still 110 calories/tablespoon
instead of using oil based salad dressing try …
salad dressing made with:
3 parts Vinegar, 2 parts Mustard, 3 parts water (w/stevia – to taste)