Fat V Unsaturated Fat

Liam79

So when you look at the labels on the food you buy
is it the saturated fat levels that you should look at
and are unsaturated fats actually ok when trying to lose weight?
like if i see a chicken grill, and it says Fat 6g Of which Saturates 1g

Does that mean the 5g that are unsaturated are actally ok and not fattening/unhealthy
But the 1g that saturates is the "bad guy"?

Lux23

The saturated fat is the bad stuff so you need to avoid it, although if you are on a low fat diet I think its way easier to avoid processed food and cook your meals from scratch.

Ciaran500

Lux23 wrote: »

The saturated fat is the bad stuff

Why?

El_Dangeroso

I'd look at the ingredients before the nutritional analysis.

Run a mile from anything with the word 'hydrogenated' in the list of ingredients. Also bad are 'vegetable oil' or 'soybean oil'. 'Hydrolyzed vegetable protein' isn't great either.

But you can avoid all these issues by cooking food from scratch. Much healthier all round.

cnocbui

Saturated fats are the good ones.

About the only polyunsaturated fat that isn't too bad is olive oil. And as Temple_Grandin said - avoid hydrogenated anything.

If you are trying to lose weight, it is carbohydrates you should avoid. Saturated fats will tend to suppress appetite as they are a concentrated source of energy.

cruizer101

Saturated Fat is the one to avoid, however this doesn't mean its ok to eat loads of unsaturated fat. You do need a certain ammount but eaten to excess and you will still put on fat.

cruizer101

cnocbui wrote: »

Saturated fats are the good ones.

Not sure where your getting that from, it goes against what I've ever heard.

You have Saturated fat, which increases LDL cholesterol (bad stuff);
mono-unsaturated, reduce LDL cholerterol; poly-unsaturated reduce LDL but also reduce HDL(good stuff) so best not to have too much.

If looking to loose weight need to reduce overall calorie intake, by reducing carbs and fats. And I agree with cnocbui, fats will make you feel fuller for longer as generally have low GI, still can't have loads though.

Ciaran500

cruizer101 wrote: »

You have Saturated fat, which increases LDL cholesterol (bad stuff);
mono-unsaturated, reduce LDL cholerterol; poly-unsaturated reduce LDL but also reduce HDL(good stuff) so best not to have too much.

Saturated fats increase the pattern A LDL in your system while refined carbs increase your pattern B LDL. Pattern B LDL is the cholesterol that has been linked to CHD, CVD etc...

El_Dangeroso

cruizer101 wrote: »

Not sure where your getting that from, it goes against what I've ever heard.

It's a new development in the scientific community that sat fats are actually beneficial. Unfortunately it takes forever for public health recommendations to catch up! Check out the latest study on the subject.

The fats to avoid are the ones high in omega 6 as these along with sugar contribute to chronic inflammation and eventually heart disease.

cruizer101

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

It's a new development in the scientific community that sat fats are actually beneficial. Unfortunately it takes forever for public health recommendations to catch up! Check out the latest study on the subject.

I didn't read the whole article as its pretty heavy reading and a fair bit would be over my head. However from reading the abstract and discussion, it would seem they are saying that:
"there is insufficient evidence from prospective epidemiologic studies to conclude that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD, stroke, or CVD"
This is a bit different to saying saturated fats are beneficial.

Not saying your wrong, but I can't say its convinced me.

I completely agree with you about keeping away from processed hydrogenated fats and wish they would list trans fats on the information like they do in the US.

In general I'd be of the opinion its not a bad idea to keep away from foods with a lot of sat fats, as unless doing some serious dieting are likely to be getting plenty enough fats.

corkcomp

TBH, if you are trying to lose weight, it actually wont matter much whether the fat is saturated or not, its the overlal fat content that counts - i.e. calories. dont be fooled into thinking that unsaturated fat can be eaten to your hearts content, same goes for saturated fats.

El_Dangeroso

Or you can lose weight on on a low carb diet and eat as much saturated fat as you want. I'm not one for deprivation personally.

corkcomp

all well and good if you like saturated fat, personally I dont! whats to like about greasy, slimy animal fats vs porridge tropical fruits, root vegetables = no contest :D

El_Dangeroso

corkcomp wrote: »

all well and good if you like saturated fat, personally I dont! whats to like about greasy, slimy animal fats vs porridge tropical fruits, root vegetables = no contest :D

You must have some Kitavan blood in you corkcomp!;)

You don't have to eat gobs of the stuff, but c'mon, bacon has to be one of the best tastes in the world.:D

cnocbui

Cholesterol was/is thought by many to be implicated in heart disease, but the hypothesis does not hold up to scrutiny.

A very recent review of 21 studies found no link, but guess what? The head in the sand experts still seem to think there is a problem with cholesterol, even though at least half of people who have heart attacks have normal levels of cholesterol.

Here is a nice quote:

The new findings also highlight a pretty remarkable thing, Heinecke says: "Despite 30 years of study, we still don't know how cholesterol causes heart disease."

If something is not actually causing the problem you think it is, then you might actually have a slight problem figuring out how it causes the problem.

Study fails to link saturated fat, heart disease
Amy Norton
Thu Feb 4, 2010 11:19am EST

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The saturated fat found mainly in meat and dairy products has a bad reputation, but a new analysis of published studies finds no clear link between people's intake of saturated fat and their risk of developing heart disease.

Health

Research has shown that saturated fat can raise blood levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol, and elevated LDL is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Because of this, experts generally advise people to limit their intake of fatty meat, butter and full-fat dairy.

The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that adults get no more than 7 percent of their daily calories from the fat; for someone who eats 2,000 calories a day, that translates into fewer than 16 grams of saturated fat per day.

But in the new analysis, which combined the results of 21 previous studies, researchers found no clear evidence that higher saturated fat intakes led to higher risks of heart disease or stroke.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, may sound like good news for steak lovers, but a past AHA president cautioned against "over interpreting" the results.

"No one is saying that some saturated fat is going to harm you...people should enjoy their food," said Dr. Robert H. Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver.

But, he pointed out, many studies have shown that dietary saturated fat can raise people's cholesterol, and the new analysis is not going to change recommendations to keep saturated fat intake in check.

Perhaps more importantly, though, Eckel said that the thinking on diet and heart health is moving away from a focus on single nutrients and toward "dietary patterns."

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61341020100204

Do you see that last paragraph, it's called back-peddling. The big problem now is that the medical community, nutritionists and the media have been spinning the line that cholesterol causes CHD for so long, they all would all loose credibility if they suddenly admitted they had been wrong.

Now when it is quite clear there is no evidence whatsoever to support the cholesterol causes CHD hypothesis, they are slowly changing the story in the hope no one notices. A bit like the way 'Global Warming' became 'Climate Change.

There is a lot of information on saturated fats and cholesterol here:

http://www.westonaprice.org/Know-Your-Fats/

rubadub

corkcomp wrote: »

it actually wont matter much whether the fat is saturated or not, its the overlal fat content that counts - i.e. calories.

Yes, the calories would be the same, this is why I wonder how WW came up with the formula with such a strong bias against sat fat, has there ever been a rumour that it would make you more fat? if there was such a rumour did it originate from WW itself?

While they are the same calories if you are doing weightlifting the sat fat might raise your testosterone levels higher than an equal amount of cals from other fats, so in this instance it could lead to more muscle building and could aid fat loss a bit more.

greasy, slimy animal fats vs porridge tropical fruits, root vegetables = no contest

Combine them! pineapple fritters in oat flour batter deep fried in lard :pac:

corkcomp

rubadub wrote: »

Combine them! pineapple fritters in oat flour batter deep fried in lard :pac:

man!:( fats are ok, carbs are ok but not together like that:D

cnocbui

corkcomp wrote: »

man!:( fats are ok, carbs are ok but not together like that:D

Do you eat chips?

Iristxo

rubadub wrote: »

Yes, the calories would be the same, this is why I wonder how WW came up with the formula with such a strong bias against sat fat, has there ever been a rumour that it would make you more fat? if there was such a rumour did it originate from WW itself?

While they are the same calories if you are doing weightlifting the sat fat might raise your testosterone levels higher than an equal amount of cals from other fats, so in this instance it could lead to more muscle building and could aid fat loss a bit more.

Combine them! pineapple fritters in oat flour batter deep fried in lard :pac:

I'd imagine you're joking?

EileenG

rubadub wrote: »

Combine them! pineapple fritters in oat flour batter deep fried in lard :pac:

I'm just back from Budapest, where people appear to live on deep fried sugar. And then wonder why everyone over 40 has diabetes and high blood pressure.

Mellor

Iristxo wrote: »

I'd imagine you're joking?

I thought you were, you honest;y think there are more calories in sat fat?

Ciaran500

Iristxo wrote: »

I'd imagine you're joking?

Don't see any jokes in there, deep fried pineapple fritters are pretty common across the internet and lard is much healthier than some of the vegetable fats.

corkcomp

cnocbui wrote: »

Do you eat chips?

I eat most things, but no I do not eat chips and I seem to be one of the few people who dont really like them

Sapsorrow

corkcomp wrote: »

I eat most things, but no I do not eat chips and I seem to be one of the few people who dont really like them

I had them at least once a day :eek: for three and a half years in boarding school (only one option for our meals) so I don't care for them either. In my final 6 months of 6th year they brought in a self-serve salad bar I was so happy :pac: I hate to think of the damage those years of my life did to my poor body