health for your
skinny fat The on What’s good, and what to avoid
FATS
good and bad
By Alice Shapin
Yes, you need fat
Everyone needs to consume
good fats. Registered dietitian
(R.D.) and author Cynthia Sass
explains, “Fat is part of every
cell membrane in your body. So
in order for them to heal or
repair, you need fat as the raw
material and you need fat to
make a new cell when one dies.
Fat is also needed to absorb certain nutrients and vitamins A,
D, K and E. And good fats reduce
inflammation known to trigger
premature aging.”
The 2010 dietary guidelines
for Americans from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and
the Department of Health and
Human Services (www.health.
gov/dietaryguidelines) recom-
mend total fat intake of 20 to 35
percent of total calories for adults,
including less than 10 percent
saturated fat (nutritionists believe
it should be much less), and trans
fats should be close to zero.
Benefits and hazards
Good fats promote better
health. Costco member Mitzi
Dulan, R.D., nutritionist for the
Kansas City Royals baseball
team, says, “Studies show that
eating foods high in monoun-saturated and polyunsaturated
fats, the good fats, may slightly
lower LDL [low-density lipopro-tein] cholesterol levels.
“Today we know that by
decreasing LDL cholesterol you
can decrease your risk of heart
disease and may reduce blood
sugar levels and reduce insulin
MEDIA BAKERY
resistance. This can benefit peo-
ple with Type 2 diabetes and
metabolic syndrome. I have also
found that foods with healthy
fats are very satisfying and make
people feel fuller, so they eat
fewer calories.”
“Bad fats increase your risk
for certain diseases,” says Costco
member Judy Caplan, R.D., of
Virginia, and spokesperson for the
American Dietetic Association.
“Trans and saturated fats are
artery clogging and raise blood
cholesterol, particularly bad LDL
cholesterol, causing heart attacks
and strokes.”
Robynn Chutkan, M.D., an
assistant professor of gastroenter-
ology at Georgetown University
Hospital in Washington, D.C.,
says, “When someone eats too
much trans fats, I’ve seen the
[gastrointestinal] tract run amok.
I’ve plucked many patients from
the jaws of the surgeon by chang-
ing their diet.”
gram of partially hydrogenated
oils. It won’t be listed in the nutri-
tion facts but will appear in the
ingredients list.
The Costco Connection
Costco carries many items that are healthy sources of fats, including
a variety of nuts; avocados; olive, canola, corn and soybean oils;
fresh and frozen fish; Omega- 3 fish oils and more.
MARCH 2012 ;e Costco Connection 37
Alice Shapin is a Maryland writer
who now reads every food label.
Read the labels
While many manufacturers
have removed trans fats and cities
such as New York have banned
them, it’s important to read labels.
“Starting in 2006, companies [were] required to list the
trans fats on nutrition facts
labels. However, if it’s less than
0.5 gram, it does not have to be
listed on the nutrition facts label,
but must appear in the ingredients,” says Dulan.
For example, some brands of
peanut butter have less than 0.5
Substitutes
Dulan suggests, “Instead of
butter, think about dipping
bread in extra virgin olive oil
with herbs, balsamic vinegar or
hummus. On a sandwich, use
Hass avocados instead of mayo,
and also include nuts in your
shopping cart.” C
