Blog Series: The Pro's and Con's of Dietary Fat

4 of 6: Saturated Fat

The easiest way to identify saturated fat is that it is SOLID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. To help you remember think “Saturated = Solid.” If it is solid on your countertop then it is solid and rigid in the body, negatively affecting all areas of your body, especially the cardiovascular system. Saturated fat has been shown to

• Increase total cholesterol
• Increase LDL (the bad) cholesterol which his associate with arterial plaque and buildup
• Increase heart disease risk
• Increase risk of all chronic diseases including cancer

The goal is to consume less than 20 grams of saturated fat per day. Animal-based foods, dairy, desserts, cooking fats, fast/restaurant foods, and tropical plant oils are high in saturated fat. For example, the white fat on bacon is solid at room temperature = saturated fat. When the fryers are turned off at your favorite burger joint, the oil becomes solid as it cools. Below is a table of some foods high in saturated fat:
1 slice Giordano's Stuffed Cheese Pizza = 12 g. sat fat

• 1 Bubba Burger (frozen brand) = 10 g. sat fat
• 1 Slice Giordano's Stuffed Cheese Pizza - 12 g. sat fat
• 1 White Castle Cheeseburger = 3 g. sat fat
• 2 tbs. Sour Cream = 3 g. sat fat
• ¼ c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese = 5 g. sat fat
• 1 Bratwurst, Johnsonville = 10 g. sat fat
• Chicken Alfredo Olive Garden = 48 g. (2 days worth!) sat fat
• 1 tbs. Butter = 7.3 g. sat fat
• 1 Hot Dog = 7 g. sat fat
• Chili’s Boneless Buffalo Wings = 16 g. sat fat
• 1 serving Starbucks Whipped Cream = 7 g. sat fat
• 1 scoop Oberwise Butter Pecan Ice Cream = 16 g. sat fat

It is very easy to over eat saturated fat, especially if you eat out often. To decrease saturated fat in your diet tries these simple tips:

1. Choose low fat dairy products. This includes cheese, shredded cheese, milk, cheese and cottage cheese
2. As temptins as it is, skip the cheese in sandwiches, meat, and sides. Not only will you avoid the unnecessary saturated fat, you will also cut calories by at least 100 per slice of cheese.
3. Limit or completely avoid butter, margarine, Crisco, Lard and other oils or spreads. Choose light versions instead. Consider using County Crock Whipped, Smart Balance Light, Spray Butter, Promise Light or PAM Spray.
4. Ditch the toppings. Limit toppings such as Whipped Cream, salad dressing, Ice Cream, and Cream Cheese. Try fresh fruit or sugar free jelly instead.
5. Limit red meat (including pork) to 2 meals (6 oz.) or less per week. Instead choose poultry, fish and legumes (beans & lentils). If choose red meat, trim all visible fat, and choose lean cuts such as Top round, Flank steak, Bottom round or Pork Tenderloin. Individuals who consume mostly red meat are 30% more likely to die from cancer or heart disease than those who reported eating less. Red meat (including pork) is also associated with a greater risk of heart disease, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and diabetes.

Blog Series: Pro's and Con's of Dietary Fat

3 of 6: Trans Fat - The Ugly Fat

Trans fat has been in the news quite often in the past few years. It seems as though it can’t be eliminated from the food supply fast enough. A small amount of Trans fat is found in the food supply naturally. However, in the 1960’s manufacturers began regularly using Trans fst to prolong product shelf life, improve texture (smooth or crunchy), and produce cheaper foods. A food that highlighted the benefits to manufacturers was the Twinkie! It is cheap, tasty and can sit on a shelf forever.

High amounts of synthetic Trans fat can embed themselves into our cell membranes producing negative health effects. Up to 20,000 cardiovascular related deaths occurred in 2004 as a result of Trans fat. To our body, Trans fat is like throwing a wrench in a smoothly running machine. It increases the risk of chronic disease by disrupting normal body function.

It does not take a lot of Trans fact to negatively impact our health. It only takes about 2 grams (about 2 small paperclips) of Trans fat to jam up your metabolic machinery

Tips to help you decrease Trans fat intake

- Read the label. Trans fat is always listed. The goal is less than 2 grams per day.

- Avoid the ingredient “partially hydrogenated” which is followed by a type of oil. There is a loophole to the labeling rule. If a product has less than 0.5 g of Trans fat per serving, it can be listed at 0 on the label. However, keep in mind that if you eat more than one serving or eat several products with low levels, it is very easy to over consume the amount of Trans fat recommended per day.

Despite efforts to eliminate trans fat, Trans fat is still ubiquitous in the food supply. It may even be lurking in places you never considered such as hard taco shells, fast/restaurant fried foods, margarine, crackers, non-dairy creamer powder, and bakery items.

Fun Fact: In 2005, McDonald's lost an $8.5 million lawsuit for failing to decrease trans fats in their products. $7 million was donated to the American Heart Association and $1.5 million was used to educate the public on the danger of trans fats.

Choosing whole, fresh, minimally processed foods is an easy way to avoid Trans fats all together.

Blog Series: The Pro's and Con's of Dietary Fat

2 of 6: Portion Size

One of the biggest mistakes when trying to lose or maintain weight is eating healthy foods but in large portions. Even healthy foods have calories. Through the years, one of the pitfalls I have observed is overconsumption of nuts, trail mixes, and seeds as meals or snacks. Reasons for choosing larger portions of these items are to increase protein intake and "they are healthy." But this is a misunderstanding.

¼ cup of trail mix = 170-230 calories. And who can eat just ¼ cup?
½ cup of shelled sunflower seeds = 375 calories

The only food category that can be consumed in unlimited quantities is non-starchy vegetables. The more vegetables, the better for you.

When consuming fat, it is important to choose the appropriate portion size to avoid excess calories that can lead to weight gain or a weight loss plateau. The following are each one serving of fat:

1 teaspoon: any oil, mayonnaise, butter, margarine

1 tablespoon: low fat margarine, low fat mayonnaise, regular sour cream, nut butters, regular salad dressing, cream cheese

2 tablespoons: Avocado, half & half/cream, reduced fat sour cream, reduced fat salad dressing, reduced fat cream cheese

6-10 nuts: Almond, cashew, walnut halves, peanuts, pecans
Tip: A serving of nuts will fit into a small mint tin. Try packing a portion of nuts to eat at work. Do not eat these items near an open bag where you can keep going back for more.

8 large olives

Be aware of foods that have hidden fats. Even if the fat is not visible, calories can add up quickly. These include pizza, ice cream, sweets, crackers, cake, cookies, chips, and microwave popcorn.

Tune in Monday 8/1 to learn about harmful saturated fats!

Blog Series: The Pro’s and Con’s of Dietary Fat

Blog Series 1 of 6

It is wrongly assumed that the more fat in your diet the more fat on your body. Increased weight can only be achieved by overconsumption of calories. Each pound of body fat is about 3,500 calories. This equates to 12.3 Mc Donald’s 6-piece chicken nuggets! On the other hand, to burn one pound it would take a 200 pound individual, walking at 3.5 mph, 9.7 hours to burn 3500 calories.

Dietary fat contributes to weight gain or lack of weight loss due to it’s caloric density. Calories only come from fat, protein, carbohydrates and alcohol. Each has a different caloric density (calories/gram). Fat is the most dense, therefore overconsumption of high fat products significantly contributes to excess caloric intake and weight gain or a weight loss plateau.

Protein 4 cals/g
Carbohydrate 4 cals/g
Fat 9 cals/g
Alcohol 7 cals/g

It is extremely easy to over consume calories when fat is present in foods. A great example is the difference between peanut butter, apples and carrots. Each of the following is equal to 160 calories: 1.5 tbs peanut butter, 2 pieces of fruit or 3 cups of carrots. When fat is not present, you get a greater volume of food with fewer calories to help fill you up, contribute to satiety, and help with weight loss/maintenance.

The key takeaway is to consume high fat foods in moderation in the appropriate portion. The following foods are high in fat:

Nuts * seeds * trail mix * granola * oils * butters * Nut butters
Fried foods * desserts * restaurant dishes * ice cream * Avocado
Dark meat and poultry wtih skin * red meat * Dairy products
Sweets such as chocolate

Fat intake has far ranging effects on human health and disease. Not all dietary fat is created equal. Tune in every Monday for a new article in this 6 part blog series on dietary fat.

Eat Smart - 2011 Meat Eaters Guide to Climate Change and Health

The Environmental Working Group is leading they way to protect public health and the environment through the power of public information. They recently released a list of food groups and their impact on the environment and health. Look in each box to learn more about the healthiest food choices within the food group and look across to understand the environmental impact of the food group.

Eat Smart - 2011 Meat Eaters Guide Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health Environmental Working Group

Your Food Choices May Be Costing You More Than a Grain of Salt

The average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium a day, which is well above the recommended amount of 1,500 mg per day. Consuming this much sodium a day may be easier than you think if you consider that just one teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 milligrams (mg) of sodium, almost 1.5 days worth.

In fact, the vast majority of sodium in the typical American diet comes from foods that are processed and prepared. Examples include bread, packaged pasta/rice dishes, lunch meats, bacon, cheese, soups, snacks and fast foods. Sodium is naturally present in all vegetables, dairy products, meat and shellfish. For example, 1 cup of low-fat milk contains about 107 mg of sodium, contributing to your overall sodium intake.

Beyond the harm caused by high blood pressure, research has shown that excess sodium can be toxic to humans. For example, some studies conclude that a high salt diet might contribute to the following: stiffer arteries which are often the early sign of heart disease, increased calcium losses which could eventually lead to osteoporosis and the excretion of high levels of protein in the urine, worsening kidney damage initially caused by high blood pressure.

Whether you are sensitive to salt or not, most Americans can benefit from reducing sodium in their diet. Reconsider your typical food choices and try some of the following ways to cut back on sodium:

• Eat more fresh foods especially fruits and vegetables, which can balance some of the negative effects of sodium.
• If you purchase processed foods, opt for the low or reduced sodium options.
• Check food labels and limit products that contain MSG, baking soda or powder, disodium phosphate and sodium nitrate.
• Use fresh herbs and salt free seasonings to flavor your food.
• Decrease your use of sodium-laden condiments such as soy sauce, salad dressings, ketchup and sauces

Article published by: Ellen Muhammad, Dietetic Intern

Filling up on Fiber

The average American consumes 14 grams of dietary fiber a day, which is considerably less than the recommended level of 25-38 grams per day. The human gastrointestinal tract is 26 feet long. Fiber acts as a scrub brush to effectively rid toxic substances from the body, which otherwise may accumulate and cause health problems. Fiber normalizes bowel movements, lowers the risk of chronic disease, promotes a feeling of fullness, and helps regulates blood sugar. It is perhaps more important for a bariatric patients to consume adequate fiber because it can help alleviate constipation, which is a common nutritional complication.

Dietary fiber is found only in plant foods: fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables contain just as much fiber as raw ones. However, other types of processing may reduce fiber content. Drying and crushing, for example, destroy the water-holding qualities of fiber.

Top 10 Fiber-licious foods:

1. Split Peas
2. Lentils
3. Black Beans
4. Lima Beans
5. Turnip Greens
6. Artichokes
7. Brussel Sprouts
8. Broccoli
9. Raspberries
10. Apples

The key is to find ways to incorporate natural sources of fiber into your diet. This can be achieved by following the golden rule of “Protein and Produce” at each meal and choosing non-meat sources of protein such as legumes.

By: Jill Joseph, Dietetic Intern

Benefits of bariatric surgery may outweigh risks for severely obese

The American Heart Association weighs in about the benefits of bariatric surgery

• Bariatric surgery is a viable option for patients who are severely obese and are safe surgical candidates who have failed medical therapy for losing weight.
• When indicated, bariatric surgery often leads to long-term weight loss and significantly improved health.
• While there are risks, bariatric surgery is considered a relatively safe procedure, especially in centers that perform many of the procedures.

Check out the American Heart Association:

Benefits of bariatric surgery may outweigh risks for severely obese