What are your thoughts on this debate, I often used low fat foods in the past, but then read that after the fat is removed something like sugar or salt is added, so it defeats the healthy advantage. I now use unprocessed full fat foods and dairy products. "............When you take the fat out of products, particularly dry ones like cake or biscuits, then something has to replace it. "It tends to be sugar - the calories in digestives and low-fat digestives are almost the same, lots of yoghurts are crammed with sugar" " But what about the case that we should be eating more fat? Some have argued that the message about cutting all fats when discussing bad saturated fats from processed foods was oversimplified. While others have made the case that favouring carbohydrates in our diet - particularly refined carbs like white bread and pasta, is playing havoc with our hormones to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and making us pile on the pounds.." More here
I think we need good fats and that's what I try to get into my diet. I do use some lowfat products but not because of the fat content but because of the calories. I use light Mayo and I don't worry about the little bit of extra sugar or salt they put in it because I don't eat anything else with sugar.
I am like @Chrissy Page in that I also include good fats and oils into my diet. I think that most of the foods that were made to be lower fat do usually have added sugar, or other additions that are not healthy in replacement of the fat. We use only real butter, no margarine. I buy coconut oil for cooking and use either that or olive oil; but the olive oil is not supposed to be as good when it is heated up for cooking. I also have some of the virgin coconut oil that I just take a spoonful of to add the healthy oil from the coconut, which has so many healing properties, and is also supposed to help cut sugar cravings. I get half-and-half cream for my coffee or tea, and would get pure cream if it was not SO expensive. We seldom drink regular milk, and I mainly use that for making my kefir, which helps to add the vitamins and probiotics and lowers the sugar content.
I use natural fats such as lard, butter, whole milk or cream, coconut oil and some other vegetable oils. I never use margarine, Crisco, cool whip or any man made fats. Many dry products such as bisquick and many others contain hydrogenated oils. You have to read the labels.
I've always been cognizant of the amount of fats in foods, but I've never really made it a goal to go overboard with it. I like real butter in/on many things... but that doesn't mean I'm going to fry something in a stick of butter if a non-stick pan or some kind of "not-so-bad" cooking spray will work in the pan. I eat bacon but I don't go to the butcher and buy fatty bacon... I buy pre-cooked at 25 calories per slice. I know that turkey bacon would be better for me but... well, that's just not bacon in my eyes. As with anything else that becomes a fad, or is talked about a lot, people start taking it to extremes and ruin it. If I see something that's labeled "low fat" and the fat has NOT been replaced with salt or sugar or chemicals (ick!) like often happens, you bet I'll try it. But getting all radical about it, nope.
Those of you using natural fats like butter and lard, how is your cholesterol? I have been tempted to go back to them but I guess I have been too brainwashed.
This is always a point that comes up when natural fats is the topic... but I usually weight it against (hehe no pun intended, honest! ) the horrors of things that chemicals in NON natural fats can cause. Like people can take medication for high cholesterol and cut it down in other areas, but can't do that for something like cancers. Maybe that's overly dramatic, but it's always the way I've looked at this issue. Now, as a side note, the Mayo Clinic (surprisingly to me) says that margarine is better for heart health *IF* (and that's a big if) it's one that is relatively low in TRANS fats.. but many of them aren't. The soft spreads, if they contain plant stanols and sterols can actually help with cholesterol levels. So there are a number of areas to consider and not just an easy answer. And then there's the GMO thing. One of those things we just have to educate ourselves on and make a decision based on personal needs.
This whole phobia on natural fats saturated fats first when people eat saturated fats 70 years ago there Alzheimer’s was so rare it was not in the medical text. Things like erectile dysfunction and menopause problems were very rare. Type two diabetes was rare. The American Heart Association after taking a bribe in the 1950s of 1.7 million dollars to endorse Crisco as being a good substitute for saturated fat by demonizing saturated fat. What they substituted was a manufactured submarine lubricant as food [Crisco]. After this big diet change the reason was for heart problems that has not changed in all that time. Prof of another failed theory and that is all it was. They told everyone to change over to oils instead of fats but they did not tell them that all oils oxidize and become trans fats and free radicals which is exactly what is causing all the plugged arteries now admitted by the FDA If saturated fat was so bad than the people who eat a lot should have the highest heart problems but that is not the fact the group of people with the least amount of heat problems are the Inuit [Eskimos] their diet is 95 % animal fat and their cholesterol is 350 – 500 They have no grains and no vegetables. It is not their genes because if they come south and eat like us they have the same problem we do but if they go back up north their problems go away. I personally have no oils of any kind in my kitchen.
I used to be wary of the fat in the food. When I fry something, I see to it that it is dried of the cooking oil. That was my idea of fat. But when I got sick and consulted a doctor, I got to know that fat from food is not bad per se. What's bad is eating fatty food excessively for a period. I have high cholesterol level in the recent years but the doctor did not forbid me to eat fatty food. What was prescribed is the exercise and physical activity that I needed. That means I just enjoy the food and I do not mind the fat as long as I eat moderately.
Your body makes cholesterol. Eating food high in cholesterol doesn't affect the cholesterol in your body. Grass has zero cholesterol. Cows eat grass. Beef is high in cholesterol.
My stance on fats has changed over time. I don't go overboard on anything, but I will use organic coconut oil in place of butter whenever possible these days. And I like olive oil as a cooking oil. In the morning, my favorite meal is an egg white omelet with chopped onions, red & green peppers and celery, along with mushrooms and cook it all in good quality olive oil. An aside, on olive oil... saw a couple weeks ago on 60 Minutes (TV) that Pompeian (a popular brand in the US) has gotten into the hands of the Mafia in Italy. They started processing the olive oil with canola oil and unknown chemicals .... ugh! So, that's one to stay away from ....
Thanks for the info on Pompeian, Bonnie. Now I'm going to have to see what I have. I eat omelets similar to yours minus the celery...one veggie I don't like cooked.
Even olive oil when heated becomes a trans fat. Oils exposed to oxygen become oxidized and become free radicals. Well Steve Jobs would have told you that olive oil was good for you too.
I use very little oil in cooking, most of the Olive oil I use is on salads or drizzled on something. What I eat at restaurants or other people's homes is out of my control, so I just do the best I can at home and not worry too much about what not to eat and what is healthy or unhealthy. I'd go crazy doing that, chances are I'll die of something anyway and if I worry too much about my food it will probably be stress related. All that being said....I am a health nut! Kinda
I try to watch what I eat but it is confusing. One minute this is good for you and the next minute it is not good for you, so what should you do? I avoid large amounts of salt and sugar and greasy foods. I have eaten fried chicken in years, never did eat the skin of a chicken and really I do not eat very much meat. I am now looking for a healthier way to reduce cholesterol in my diet as it is too high. There are marks that come on your eye lids that indicate high in your body, I have them on both eyelids. When I got my eyes examined the doctor told me what the marks meant.