11/22/2010

SIMPLE FACTS ABOUT SATURATED / UNSATURATED / TRANSFATTY ACIDS (TFA)

Simple facts about saturated / unsaturated / transfatty acids (TFA)

SATURATED FAT CAUSES ARTEROSCLEROSIS

SOURCES

ANIMALS

PLANTS

Beef, Beef fat, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, milk, cheeses and other dairy products made from whole and 2 percent milk

coconut, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil (often called tropical oils), and cocoa butter

TRANS UNSATURATED FATTY ACIS (TFA) CAUSES ATHEROSCLEROSIS

SOURCES

NATURAL

PROCESSED FOOD

beef, pork, lamb and the butterfat in butter and milk

making margarine, shortening, cooking oils cookies and white bread

TFA IS MORE ATHEROGENIC THAN SATURATED FAT (CAUSES MORE DAMAGE)

UNSATURATED FAT DOES NOT CAUSE ATHEROSCLEROSIS

SOURCES

salmon, trout, herring, avocados, olives, walnuts and liquid vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive and sunflower

Unsaturated fat = polyunsaturated fats + monounsaturated fats

Replacing saturated and TFA with unsaturated fat helps reduce blood cholesterol levels

American Heart Association recommends

Choose a diet rich in fruits, vegetables wholegrain, high fibre foods and fat free and low fat diary most often

Keep total fat intake between 25 to 35% of calories (mainly mono and poly unsaturated fats)

TFA less than 1% Calories

To reduce TFA in diet

Look for food labeled ZERO TFA

Use unhydrogenated vegetable oils (canola, sunflower or olive oil)

Soft margarine instead of harder stick forms and butter

Limit these

High TFA

French fries

Doughnuts

Cookies

Muffins

Pies

Cakes

Limit Saturated Fats = Limit TFA

Limit commercially fried foods – has large amount of Saturated Fats and TFA