Fats are tricky to talk about, which is why there has been some new back and forth on them this week. An article at the Guardian (Studies Saying Fat Is Not That Bad Are Misleading, Scientists Say) states that recent articles in March (Low Carb vs. Low Fat Diet) have led to uncertainty and confusion. The new article claims that saturated fat is still bad for your cardiovascular system and that polyunsaturated fats are not necessarily better for us after all. So what should you do? Here’s a quick run-down.
Saturated Fat: Saturated fats are the least healthy. They can raise your overall cholesterol level and lead to cardiovascular issues. They are however, a necessary piece of the dietary puzzle, so we are not talking about trying to eliminate them entirely. Instead, keep them limited. The American Heart Association recommends they be about 5% to 6% of total calories. (1)
Unsaturated Fat: These are the fats found in various things such as nuts, oils, seeds, and fish. The American Heart Association recommends 25% to 35% of your calories come from these. The most current stance on these is that they have a positive effect on your ratio of good to bad cholesterol (HDL to LDL) which is heart healthy. (2)
The Tricky Part: The tricky part of all of this is to remember that when it comes to fitness, we can’t always have black and white, do-this-not-that, answers. Fitness is full of nuance, which is part of what makes it fun! In this case remember that of the three macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) fats are the most calorically dense. There are 9 calories in a gram of fat versus 4 for protein or carbs. That means that while eating certain fats are good for your overall health, and highly recommendable, too much can also cause you to gain weight, which is once again undesirable. So, you may need to monitor how much of a good thing you are getting in any one day. Some people will find that eating lots of healthy snacks that are high in unsaturated fats, like nuts, are just too many calories for them. That doesn’t mean they should try to cut out fat, it means they need to trim the amounts down until they have found equilibrium. The fats themselves are still okay.
The point I would like to make is that this fat “good” vs. fat “bad” debate should not be the debate at all. We can pretty comfortably say that all fats are necessary and that some fats are actually particularly healthy. The key is to look at the overall diet and determine where there are excesses. Anything can be done to excess, and that is usually the real problem.
3)The American Heart Association – www.heart.org