All foods contain a mixture of the three different types of fats: saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. There are no foods that contain only one type. They contain the three types of fat in varying proportions, and the type that occurs in the largest percentage is used to name that fat. For example, olive oil is called a monounsaturated fat because it contains more monounsaturated fat than polyunsaturated or saturated, but it has some of all three types.

SATURATED FATS: These fats are solid at room temperature. When you take in more calories than your body needs, saturated fats raise cholesterol and increase risk for heart attacks. Large amounts of saturated fats are found in butter, meats and high-fat dairy products.

MONOUNSATURATED FATS are liquid at room temperature. They are found in all food sources of fats, but particularly rich sources include olives, almonds and other seeds. Before the bad LDL cholesterol can form plaques in arteries, it must first be converted to oxidized LDL. Monounsaturated fats are thought to stabilize the bad LDL cholesterol and make it less likely to form plaques in arteries. Recent studies suggest that their heart-health benefits may come from antioxidants and other phytochemicals found in the seeds as well.

POLYUNSATURATED FATS are healthful as long as they are left in their natural state, which is liquid at room temperature, and not converted to the more solid partially hydrogenated oils (see below). Polyunsaturated fats include the essential fatty acids (omega-3’s and omega-6’s) , which your body cannot assemble from other fats, so you must get them in your food. Omega 6’s are abundant in vegetable oils and processed foods, and most people get plenty. Omega-3’s are found only in whole grains, beans, nuts and other seeds, and in seafood; you may not get enough unless you make a special effort to eat these foods. Omega-3’s are the least stable of the fats (they turn rancid quickly when exposed to air, light or heat), so they are not found in most processed foods. Omega-3’s help to prevent clotting and inflammation, so they decrease your risk for heart attacks and strokes.

PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS contain trans fats. Polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils are healthful if they are left in the vegetables. Removing fats from vegetables shortens their shelf life. To keep them from turning rancid, they are either processed with heat, which destroys the very unstable essential omega-3 fatty acids; or, even worse, they are converted into harmful partially hydrogenated oils. Hydrogen atoms are added to replace the unsaturated double bonds between carbons, to create a very stable, more solid fat that is similar to saturated fat but has a different chemical structure.

The trans fats in partially hydrogenated oils increase risk for heart attacks by lowering blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol, raising levels of the bad LDL cholesterol and Lp(a), and blocking arachidonic acid to cause clotting. Partially hydrogenated fats also lower blood levels of the inflammation-reducing omega-3 fatty acids.

Partially hydrogenated fats are the principal fat in many prepared foods, such a french fries, doughnuts, frozen meals, cookies and crackers. Some major food producers are responding to public pressure to get trans fats out of our food supply, but they are still widely used. I believe that everyone should keep intake of partially hydrogenated fats (trans fats)in your daily diet as close to zero as possible.

Read more about the good fats and bad fats in The Good Food Book; it’s free — see the link below.

Read my drmirkin.com/goodfood/index.html Good Food Book FREE, with 100 healthful recipes.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at drmirkin.com DrMirkin.com

drmirkin.com/email/newssign.asp Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition.

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Who wouldn’t want to kill two birds with one stone? By following a nutritional program of food substitution you will be able to do just that. I also promise that you will never be hungry, and always satisfied.

The implementation of my food substitution program will enable you to eat to your heart’s content, and simultaneously rebuild your health and slim down. By making intelligent food substitutions it is possible to ‘have your cake and eat it too.’

This food substitution program is a family affair. Explain to your children that you are putting in place a new eating program which will not only make them healthy, but won’t sacrifice taste. But you do it first. Children look to their parents for guidance and living examples. And healthy eating patterns should always begin in the home.

The theory behind this program is really quite simple. You merely swap bad food choices with good food choices. How you choose to implement this program is up to you. You can elect to substitute one food item at a time, or everything all at once. The important thing is to start right away.

The very first substitution that should be made is water, and in lesser quantities, 100 percent fruit juice, for soft drinks. Carbonated soft drinks are America’s biggest source of calories. The typical American gets 7 percent of his total daily calories from soft drinks. Soft drink consumption reached its peak in 1998 with the average American drinking 56.1 gallons!

Teenagers get upwards of 13 percent of their daily caloric requirements from carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks. The average boy in the years 1977 through 1978 drank more than twice as much milk as soft drinks; girls drank 50 percent more milk.

The consumption of ‘liquid candy’ fuels this nations spiraling obesity epidemic. The over-consumption of liquid candy also brings about a significant reduction in vitamin, mineral, and fiber intake.

The artificial ingredients in many of these soft drink products negatively affect health. Research has shown that artificial colorings, especially yellow dye number 5, promotes ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in some children.

(See www.cspinet.org/liquidcandy/index.html.)

The average American does not drink enough water. The human body is approximately 65 percent water. Not only is water necessary for many metabolic functions, it is also instrumental in transporting fat and deadly toxins out of the body.

Water is essential for weight loss. Add 100 percent fruit juice to your diet along with water. Avoid fruit drinks, and other liquid candies disguised as healthy alternatives.

Substitute sweet potatoes for white potatoes. Surprisingly, the body metabolizes white potatoes exactly as it does sugar. The result is the same too. It raises blood sugar, and gets stored as fat. Sweet potatoes are a much healthier alternative. They are loaded with fiber and beta-carotene, an antioxidant.

If you don’t have any blood sugar issues, you may cut down on eating white potatoes without completely eliminating them. If however you are diabetic or prediabetic, eliminate white potatoes entirely!

Remove the ‘whites’ from your diet. White bread and other white flour products, white rice, and white sugar are poisons. The refining process removes beneficial fiber and crucial vitamins. Substitute brown rice for white rice, whole wheat bread for white bread, and a natural sweetener such as stevia for table sugar.

White products rate high on the glycemic index scale. The glycemic index measures the amount a food raises blood sugar. High glycemic foods cause the blood sugar levels to soar thus releasing a surge of insulin to drive it into the body’s cells.

Like white potatoes which are also high on the glycemic index, the body processes white breads and rice as it does sugar. The SAD (standard American diet) provides the majority of its calories from refined high glycemic products such as soft drinks, white potatoes, most of which are eaten in the form of french fries, white rice, white sugar and white breads and rolls.

America’s fiber intake is woefully inadequate. Eat a lot more fruit and vegetables. Both are bursting with fiber and phytochemicals (plant-based substances necessary for good health.) Fiber is very filling. That is why I stated earlier that you can eat as much as you want.

Substitute lean sources of protein for the not so lean such as beef and pork. Eat chicken and turkey breasts. White meat contains less fat than dark meat. Incorporate fish such as salmon and mackerel 2 to 3 times a week. Protein, like fiber, is filling.

Substitute nuts, fruits, and vegetables for snack foods such as potato chips, candies, and pastries. Nuts such as almonds, pecans, walnuts and others are chock full of healthy fats. These fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Though nutrient dense and therefore healthy, nuts do still pack calories (1 gram of fat yields nine calories.) Don’t go overboard.

Substitutions can also be made with cold breakfast cereals. If you or your children eat any of the commercial sugary cereals, replace them with healthier alternatives. Look for cereals which contain whole grain or oats as the first ingredient. Cascadian Farms or Kashi are a couple of excellent brands.

Use extra-virgin olive oil as a substitute for whatever you use other vegetable oils for. The extra-virgin olive oil is to be a substitute for canola, soybean, corn, safflower, peanut, and sunflower oils. Olive oil is the basis of the Mediterranean diet.

In the way of supplements, make sure to take a good multivitamin/mineral tablet. I also suggest that you take Tonalin CLA (conjugated linoleic acid.) Several scientific studies have found that this fatty acid promotes lean body mass while helping to burn body fat. Effective dosage is 3.4 g (grams) daily.

By making the above food substitutions you are providing your body with natural whole food. This is the type of food that your body craves. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said, ‘Let food be your medicine.’ You will notice that your body will begin to repair and heal itself. It will also stop storing body fat.

With the additional fiber from the increased fruit and vegetables, you will have several healthy bowel movements a day. These bowel movements will transport toxins and fat out of your body.

The last suggested substitution is also one of the most important. Eat a lot more home cooked meals. Substitute home cooking for restaurant cooking. The family that eats together at home grows closer and becomes healthier. Research has shown that children who eat at home perform better academically and have less behavioral problems than children who eat out.

In regards to weight loss, meal frequency is important. Eat at least 5 meals a day. This has the effect of stroking the metabolic fires thus burning more calories. Make sure each meal contains a protein source. This will ensure that you retain lean body mass while you burn away fat.

Sign up for free weekly health, nutrition and exercise news, tips and advice. America, along with almost every other nation on the face of the earth, is overweight. You can take steps to improve your health and quality of life. This weekly email (Your Health & Wellness) is absolutely free (a $35.00 value.) Go to following link: spirit-of-truth.com/MyBookOptin.html spirit-of-truth.com/MyBookOptin.html

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Most of people know the benefits of vegetable consumption. Recent studies claims that this could be the secret of longevity. Then eat more vegetable, except potatoes.

The function of potatoes in a diet aiming to decrease the burden of chronic ailments has been controversial. Though potatoes have healthful contributions, they also have a high glycemic index (GI). That means they induce a strong and rapid rise of sugar level in blood. Over time, this action may damage the pancreatic cells able produce the insulin, the hormone which is needed to metabolize blood sugar.

Recent findings show that potatoes consumption is suspected to increase insulin resistance and by consequence, eating potatoes is linked with a high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. This conclusion remove potatoes from the list of most beneficial vegetables.

This association is visible in overweight and sedentary adults that may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of high-GI foods because they often have underlying insulin resistance. The link is more pronounced in those situations when people ate potatoes instead of whole grains.

A missing of this study is the impossibility to isolate the effects of potatoes and French fries from the effects of the Western dietary template in general.

Valerian D is a freelance writer interested in health issues affecting men and women as well such as mens-health-events.info/diabetes_type2.php type 2 diabetes

Tags: diet, french fries

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Tags: diet, french fries

When you need comfort what do you reach for? Do you have a particular food you always go for?

Of course it’s better to take comfort in something other than food. If you can phone a friend or cuddle your dog or your partner that’s great, but chances are you’ll often still turn to food for comfort.

Maybe you love the taste and texture of ice cream or chocolate as it melts in your mouth. Maybe you choose pizza because it fills you up and makes you feel warm inside. Maybe there’s a food that reminds you of the good times in your life or one which always makes you feel better when you’re fed up.

Food can and does evoke lots of great feelings.

But what if your favourite comfort food also
Uses up half a day’s calorie allowance?
Pads out your hips and stomach with fat you don’t want?
Clogs your arteries?
Gives you a huge hit of sugar which creates a craving for more sugary/starchy food?
Makes you feel full of regret rather than comfort when you’ve eaten it?
Is it such a friend to you then? Pretty false friend I would say!

If that’s the case how about getting attached to a new comfort food?

Don’t worry - it doesn’t have to be boring like carrots and celery – no one was ever comforted by a carrot! Choose something absolutely delicious that you can make and keep in your freezer or have available to cook at a moments notice ready to cheer you up when you feel nothing but food will do the trick.

How about keeping some hearty warming soup in your freezer and eating it with crusty bread from ready-to-bake rolls? Or serving up childhood treats like boiled egg and toast or milky puddings made with low-fat milk? How about cooking some potato wedges with very little oil - and enjoying a mini feast without the calories of French Fries. No matter what you like there will be something healthy which works for you.

So forget pizza, ice cream and chocolate. They will always be false friends, making you feel worse after any close encounter.

Choose a new real comfort food that you can get ready at a moment’s notice and enjoy something which is better for your waistline as well as your soul.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of “The Diet Exit Plan”, an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Request her FREE 15 page report ” simplyslimming.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=91″ target=”_blank How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn’t want you to know” at simplyslimming.com” target=”_blank SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

Tags: diet, french fries, Heart, lose weight, weight Loss

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