What are trans fats/trans fatty acids?
ANSWER: Trans fats or trans fatty acids are fats that are formed by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oil. Hydrogenation (actually, partial hydrogenation) makes oils more solid at room temperature. Trans fats are found in foods made with or cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and are also found naturally in some meats and dairy products.
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Since I have diabetes, do I need to watch my fats, too?
ANSWER: It's wise to limit the amount of fats in your diet. Fat contributes almost twice the calories of carbohydrates or protein. When reading food labels, pay close attention to total fat, saturated fat, trans fat (which is gradually being added to labels), and cholesterol -- all of which can increase your risk of heart disease if your diet includes too many of them.
Limiting foods that are high in fats will help you lose weight and keep your blood fats/lipids under control. Your total intake of fat should not exceed 30% of your total daily calories, and reducing saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories will help lower your blood cholesterol level. Some individuals may require less.
Remember, when looking for answers to meet your specific nutrition needs, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian in your area.
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How can I cut the fat in my diet?
ANSWER: There are a number of things you can do to reduce the fat in your diet. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about your individual situation. To start, make sure you:
- Use fats and oils sparingly.
- Use the Nutrition Facts Label to help you choose foods lower in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
- Eat plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits.
- Choose low fat milk products, lean meats, fish, poultry, beans, and peas to get essential nutrients without substantially increasing your calorie and saturated fat intake.
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Are some fats better than others? Aren't all fats bad?
ANSWER: There are different types of fat: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fatty acids.
Saturated fats tend to raise your blood cholesterol. This type of fat comes primarily from animals and is usually solid at room temperature. Examples are butter, lard, meat fat, solid shortening, palm oil and coconut oil.
Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and found in vegetable oils, such as canola, and olive oil. Monounsaturated fats can help lower high cholesterol levels if they are part of an overall healthy low fat diet.
Polyunsaturated fats are usually liquid at room temperature and found in vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower, corn and soybean oils. They too can help lower high blood cholesterol levels.
Dietary cholesterol is found in all animal products that contain fat, such as meat and dairy.
Intake of dietary cholesterol should be limited to approximately 300 mgs per day.
It is still important to reduce fat intake since it is the amount and type of fat consumed that have the greater effect on your blood cholesterol levels.
Trans fatty acids (or trans fat) are found in foods such as vegetable shortening, some margarines, crackers, certain candies, baked goods, cookies, some snack foods, fried foods, salad dressings and other processed foods that contain partially hydrogenated oils. It is wise to limit your intake of foods high in trans fats because, like saturated fats, they tend to raise blood cholesterol.
It is important to remember that your total intake of fat should not exceed 30% of your total daily calories.
A registered dietitian can help you with meal planning to meet your individual needs. For a registered dietitian in your area, call 1 800/877-1600 extension 5000 or visit www.eatright.org and click on Find a Nutrition Professional on the home page.
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What is the effect of dietary fat on my blood sugar level? Can it really affect blood sugars?
ANSWER: Even though fat does not contain carbohydrates, it may affect your blood sugar level by slowing down the absorption of the carbohydrates in a given meal. It is recommended that all people, with or without diabetes, eat less total fat, especially less saturated fat and trans fat. If you have high cholesterol or are trying to lose weight, it is important to limit the amount of fat and calories you eat per day.
A registered dietitian can help you with meal planning to meet your individual needs. For a registered dietitian in your area, call 1 800/877-1600 extension 5000 or visit www.eatright.org and click on Find a Nutrition Professional on the home page.
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