by Alysa Ferguson, MS, RD, CDE
With so much nutrition information swirling around the internet and showing up in the news, figuring out which dietary fats are best can seem pretty complicated. An article earlier this year in The New York Times was entitled “Butter is Back” and sales of coconut oil are through the roof. Hopefully, we can help clarify and simplify the maze of confusion.
The Good
One of the best choices are heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, which come from foods such as avocados, olives, olive and canola oil, nuts and seeds. This means natural nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, etc) are good choices, as well as hummus, a chickpea-based dip made with a sesame seed paste. The only caution here is to monitor portion sizes, because the calories can add up quick. A teaspoon of oil is only 45 calories, but a tablespoon is 130. One ounce of nuts is about 160 calories, but eating out of the container can cost you. Enjoy these foods, but be mindful.
The other super-good-for-you fat is polyunsaturated omega-3 fats, particularly DHA and EPA, which come primarily from oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel (not king), trout and albacore tuna. If you like these foods, eat two servings per week to meet the daily requirement. ALA is another type of omega-3 fat that is also very healthy, but not quite as powerful as the types from fish. Good sources of ALA come from walnuts, flax and chia seeds, and canola oil.
The Bad
Saturated fat, which comes primarily from high-fat animal foods like meat and dairy, can raise cholesterol and clog arteries over time. So while avoiding it is not necessary, limiting the amount we each day makes perfect sense. So sticking with leaner meats, skinless poultry, and low-fat dairy foods most of the time is great advice. If you like butter to spread of your whole grain toast, think about trying a buttery spread (e.g. Olivio) to keep the saturated fat in check. Note that coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil, despite being plant foods, are rich in saturated fat and therefore are not recommended as healthy choices.
The Ugly
Trans fat occurs naturally in very small amounts, but what we are concerned about is the trans fat that adds up from using products made with partially hydrogenated oils. Luckily, we are seeing less trans fat in our foods due to legislation and label reading. However, trans fat can still be present in things like non-dairy creamer, bakery goods, and commercially fried foods. The recommendation is to avoid trans fat as much as possible, limiting to no more than 1-2 grams per day.
Finally, the last group of fats that didn’t fit into the above categories is polyunsaturated omega-6 fats, which come from foods such as soybean and corn oil. These fats are kind of neutral: not harmful in moderation but not as healthy as monounsaturated or omega-3. We have an abundance of these fats in our diet because they are in so many foods (commercial salad dressings, mayonnaise, etc.).
Bottom line: most people should focus on incorporating more of the best-for-you fats (mono and omega-3) and less of the worse kinds (sat and trans). For more information on heart-healthy eating, visit www.eatright.org or www.americanheart.org.
Alysa Ferguson is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator and was a Family Health Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program. She can be reached at 631-727-7850 ext. 342 or at ah372@cornell.edu.