Know your Fats...The Good the Bad and the Ugly

We all know that we should limit the amount of fat in our diets but do we really understand the different types of fat. Are some fats worse than others?  Is there such a thing as "Good" fats?  The answers are YES!

Even though we should limit fat in our diet we should understand that some fat in our diet is essential.  But more importantly the types of fat we are eating can affect our health greatly.

Types of Fat

There are essentially 4 different types of fat.

• Trans Fats
• Saturated Fats
• Monounsaturated Fats
• Polyunsaturated Fats

The Good
Both Monosaturated and Polyunsaturated fats are what would be considered "Good Fats".  These types of fat are found mostly in fish, nuts, seeds and oils from plants. Both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats may help lower your blood cholesterol level when you use them in place of saturated and trans fats. But a moderate intake of all types of fat is best.

Examples:

• Salmon
• Trout
• Herring
• Avocados
• Olives
• Walnuts
• Liquid vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive and sunflower.

The Bad
Saturated fat is considered to be a "Bad Fat".  A diet high in saturated fat is the main cause for high cholesterol.  You can find saturated fats in animal or diary products and occasionally in some plants. Saturated fat is not the WORST fat out there but should be limited.

Examples:

• Animal Products:
• Beef
• Beef Fat
• Veal
• Lamb
• Pork
• Lard
• Poultry fat
• Diary Products: 
• Butter
• Cream
• Milk (Mostly your higher percent milks like 2% and Whole)
• Cheeses and other dairy products made from whole and 2 percent milk.
• Plants:
• Coconut
• Coconut oil
• Palm oil and palm kernel oil (often called tropical oils)
• Cocoa butter.

The Ugly

Trans Fats are on "The Ugly" list in regards to fats.  They are classified by some doctors as the worst fat of them all. Trans Fats also known as Trans Fatty Acid should be either consumed very very little if at all. Essentially Trans fats should be less than 1% of your daily calories. Trans Fat used to be more common but are becoming less common due to the "bad rap" they receive.  The biggest concern with Trans Fats is that it raises your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and lowers your "good" (HDL) cholesterol.

Trans Fats are most commonly found in highly processed foods or commerically baked goods such as:

• Cookies
• Cakes
• Crackers
• Donuts
• French Fries
• Shortenings
• Some margarines

More commonly now you will find products that say "0 grams of Trans Fat" but you may need to take a closer look to get the full story. In the United States if a food has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, the food label can read 0 grams trans fat. Though that's a small amount of trans fat, if you eat multiple servings of foods with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, you could exceed recommended limits.

Beware
As I mentioned before a nutrition label may say "0 grams of Trans Fat" but that may not be the full story.  When looking at the ingredients you want to look for the words "partially hydrogenated" vegetable oil. That's another term for trans fat. The word "shortening" also is a clue: Shortening contains some trans fat.

However, if a food label says "fully" or "completely" hydrogenated oil this does NOT contain Trans Tat. Unlike partially hydrogenated oil, the process used to make fully or completely hydrogenated oil doesn't result in trans-fatty acids. However, if the label says just "hydrogenated" vegetable oil, it could mean the oil contains some trans fat.

The Scoop

• Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35 percent of your total calories each day;
• Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories;
• Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories;
• The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils;

References:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=532
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032

Winter Exercise Ideas

Be Creative!
Typically, when we think about being physically active outdoors we automatically think of activities done mostly during the summertime. However, there are also a wide range of fun activities perfect for that beautiful winter day. The list of winter recreational activities could include:

• Ice Skating
• Building a snowman or fort
• Sledding/Tubing
• Snowshoeing
• Cross country skiing
• Downhill skiing
• Snowboarding

One of the wonderful things about being in Utah is that we have a lot of wonderful resources close by. The mountains are easily accessible and can provide hours of entertainment and also a great chance for exercise.

Use Your Resources!
Participating in the activities above does not have to be expensive. For example, the University of Utah has equipment you can rent for a great price. Campus Recreation is the perfect resource to use if you want to try something new without make a large investment of money. You don’t even have to be a student to take advantage of these resources.

For all you BYU fans out there (myself included) Outdoors Unlimited on the BYU campus has similar resources available for all your outdoor recreational needs.

Enjoy!

University of Utah Campus Recreation
Brigham Young University Outdoors Unlimited

Healthy Holiday Recipes

Mini Date-Nut Snowballs

From Elli Krieger for Food Network Magazine

Preparation Time: 10 minutes                                  Portion: Serves 6 cups

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

3 1/2 ounces pitted dried dates (about 14)

15 small raw almonds

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Spread the coconut on a plate.  Put the dates, almonds, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and process until finely chopped

Form rounded 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture into balls with your fingers, then roll in the coconut, pressing to coat.

Per serving (6 piencese): Calories 100; Total fat 3 g (saturated 2 g);  Cholesterol 0 mg;

Sodium 150 mg; Carbohydrates 20 g; Fiber 3 g, Protein 1 g

Mexican Bean Dip

From Meals in Minutes cookbook

Preparation Time: 10 minutes                                  Portion: Serves 6; 1/4 cup per serving

Ingredients

16 ounce can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup frozen chopped green bell peper or 1 small green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)

2 tablespoons of salsa

2 tablespoons lime juice (1 or 2 medium limes)

1 teaspoon bottles minced garlic or 2 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

In a food processor or blender, process all ingredients for 45 seconds, or until fairly smooth.  Serve or cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Per serving (1/4 cup): Calories 77; Total fat 1 g (saturated 1 g);  Cholesterol 0 mg;

Sodium 22mg; Carbohydrates 14 g; Fiber 3 g, Protein 5 g

BeWise Classes for the New Year

Want to be healthier?  Want to achieve a healthy weight? Ready to achieve your New Year's Resolutions?

Check out our class page: BeWise Classes to register for our NEW 6 WEEK BeWise WEIGHT WORKSHP and to know when our BeWise Zumba classes will be!!  Join us at the West Valley Library!

Healthy Holiday Eating

How do we stay healthy during the holiday seasons full of treats?  Check out the tips and websites below to learn how!

10 Tips to creating healthy, active events:

1. Make healthy habits part of your celebrations.  Food and beverages are a part of an event, but they do not have to be the center of the occasion.  Focus on activities to get people moving and enjoy being together.

2. Make foods look festive. Decorate foods with nuts or seeds or use new shapes for vegetables.  Add a few eye-catching fruits to a favorite dish, serve up a new recipe, or add a sprinkle of almonds or green onions to add just an extra something.

3. Offer thirst quenches that please. Make fun ice cubes from 100% juice or add slices of fruit to make water more exciting.  Create a "float" by adding a scoop of low-fat sorbet to seltzer water. 

4. Savor the flavor. Take time to pay attention to the taste of each bit of food.  make small changes in your old recipes or try dishes from another culture to liven things up.  

5. Use ChooseMyPlate.gov to include foods from the food groups for your party. Offer whole-grain crackers, serve a spicy bean dip and veggie tray, make fruit kabobs, layer yogurt and fruit to create a sweet parfait.  Use whole grains and veggies to make a savory, healthy salad. 

6. Make moving part of the event. Being physically active makes everyone feel good.  Dancing, moving, playing active games, wiggling, and giggling add fun to any gathering. 

7. Try out some healthier recipes. Find ways to cut back on sugar, salt, and fat as you prepare your favorite recipes.  Try out some of the recipes on choosemyplate.gov. 

8. Keep it simple. Have others participate by contributing a prepared dish, helping with the clean up, or keeping the kids active and moving.

9. Shop smart to eat smart. Save money by offering foods that fit your budget.  Buy in-season produce when it costs less and tastes better.  Plan in advance and buy foods on sale. 

10. Be a cheerleader for healthy habits. It's never too early for adults to set an example.  Keep in mind that children follow what the adults around them do - even at parties.  

Source: Choosemyplate.gov - Click here to see PDF form of tips.

Want to learn more?  Check out the American Heart Association's Holiday Healthy Eating Guide by clicking here!  It has more helpful hints and recipes!

Looking for more Healthy Thanksgiving recipes?  Check out the following cite by clicking here!

What healthy holiday recipes have you tried?  Comment below!

BeWise Class: Meal Planning on a Budget

Have you wanted to know how to eat healthy on a budget?  Want some good holiday eating tips?

Join us for the LAST BEWISE CLASS THIS YEAR on Thursday, November 15 from 10:15-11:15am.  

We will be learning how to meal plan on a budget and include some healthy holiday tips since no one was able to make it last week!  Join us for some fun and learning!!  You won’t regret it.  Bring your friends and family as well!  This is our LAST CLASS IN MIDVALE at the Copperview Recreation Center (8446 South Harrison St (295 W) Midvale, UT 84047). See you there! 

Ways to Shave Calories

When it comes to healthy weight management, small steps add up. In fact, little changes in eating and activity level have a more positive impact on health than drastic ones. This is because you are more likely to stick with smaller changes over time. Extreme diets and intensive exercise regimens may work well at first, but they rarely last over the long term.

Healthy weight is all about balancing food intake with physical activity. Most of us could improve our energy balance by shaving just 100 calories a day off our usual intake. It’s not difficult:

• Lighten up your favorite coffee drink with non-fat milk and sugar-free syrup.
• Trim all fat from beef, pork and chicken. Remove the skin from poultry.
• Dish up slow-churned, reduced-calorie ice cream in place of regular.
• Enjoy raw vegetables with salsa or fat-free ranch dip instead of chips.

Small Changes Add Up
Here are more great ideas that will cut calories from your daily intake, possibly without your even noticing:

1. Downsize Your Dishes. Use smaller plates and bowls to help you eat less. We tend to fill up the dish we’re using and then eat it all. Our brains also think we are getting more when the same amount of food is placed in a smaller dish.
2. Savor Your Meals. Eating slowly helps you consume only what your body needs to feel satisfied. Eating too quickly, in less than 20 to 30 minutes, leads to overeating and feeling uncomfortably full afterwards.
3. Leave Some Food on Your Plate. This is especially important if you grew up in the “clean plate club.” By leaving even a few bites, you can focus more on your internal signals of satisfaction and less on eating food just because it is there.
4. Don’t Eat Out of a Bag or Box. When you eat out of a package, you are likely to keep eating until it’s all gone – no matter how many servings the package actually contains. Pour one serving into a small bowl.
5. Choose Your Glass Wisely. Here’s another place where our eyes play tricks on us. When glasses are short and wide, we tend to fill them with more fluid and to drink more. Use a slender glass for any beverage except water.
6. Rethink Your Drinks. High-calorie beverages like soft drinks, juice drinks, energy drinks, specialty coffees and alcohol add calories just like solid foods. Whenever possible, replace these drinks with plenty of water.

Source:
http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6849