Now we know better. Science has shown that not all fats are created equal. Sure, some fats are still bad, and too much of any kind of fat is harmful to your waist and your health. But research has shown that certain types of healthy fat protect us from high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. These types of healthy fat are turning out to be so healthy that you probably need to eat—get this—more of them. Specifically, you need two types of heart-healthy fat: Omega-3 Fats Named because of a chemical bond that falls in the number 3 position on the fatty acid chain, these liquid fats help lower bad LDL cholesterol, raise good HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides (a type of blood fat), and may reduce the risk of blood clots. Omega-3s help heart muscles beat in a steady rhythm, which may be why studies have shown that men who eat more fish have fewer fatal heart attacks. Mostly found in cold-water fish such as salmon, this important cholesterol-lowering fat isn’t made by our bodies. We must consume it from food, and few people eat enough of it. Monounsaturated Fats These important heart-healthy fats are known to lower bad LDL cholesterol and raise good HDL cholesterol. They are found in olive oil, almonds, and avocados. Make no mistake though: Too much total fat—more than about 25% of calories—is still a bad idea. You want to limit saturated fats and trans fats. And curb the omega-6 fats, such as corn oil. But finally, there’s fat so healthy you can actually enjoy it! Try our easy tips to automatically get the right balance of fats in your diet—starting now. MORE: Heart-Healthy Dinner Recipes
Boosting Omega-3s
There are two sources of omega-3s: Fish Fish provides important omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA. Types of fish high in EPA and DHA include salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, anchovies, rainbow trout, bluefish, caviar, and white albacore tuna canned in water. Plants Plants contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Plant foods high in ALA include canola oil, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, walnuts, walnut oil, and dark green, leafy vegetables. In your body, ALA is only partially converted to the much more powerful EPA and DHA. Get this much You need at least 0.5 g EPA and DHA per day and 1 g per day of ALA. Here are nine ways to automatically get the amounts of omega-3s your heart needs:
Eat fatty fish twice a week. That way, you’ll average about 0.5 g EPA and DHA per day.
Say, “I’ll have the salmon.” Most restaurants offer a salmon entrée—an easy way to get omega-3s. A serving of salmon the size of a deck of cards (about 3 oz) will bring you almost 2 g EPA and DHA. Take home what’s left for salmon burgers the next day.
Have tuna salad sandwiches. Buy canned white albacore tuna in water (light tuna has less omega-3s). Use fat-free mayo or mayo made from canola oil. A 3-oz serving of tuna averages 1.1 g EPA and DHA. (Restaurant tuna is mostly yellowfin, not a high omega-3 fish.)Order pizza with anchovies. Five anchovies have 0.4 g EPA and DHA.
Make a minimeal of sardines with whole wheat toast. Two sardines have 0.36 g EPA and DHA.
Celebrate with caviar. One tablespoon of caviar has 1 g omega-3s.
Use canola oil for baking and cooking. Buy mayo, margarine, and salad dressing made with canola oil. One tablespoon of canola oil has 1.3 g ALA.
Create salad dressing from walnut oil and red wine vinegar. One tablespoon of walnut oil has 1.4 g ALA.
Sprinkle ground flaxseed on cereal or yogurt. Flaxseed is the plant with the highest ALA level by far. One tablespoon of flaxseed has 2.2 g ALA. You can buy flaxseed at health food stores or natural food supermarkets such as Fresh Fields.
MORE: 14 Slimming Salads
Boosting Monounsaturates
In Mediterranean countries, monounsaturated fat from olive oil reduces the risk of heart disease and possibly even breast and colon cancers. Unfortunately, in America we get about one-third of our monounsaturates from a different source—meat, which means we also get artery-clogging saturated fat. What we need is less meat and more monos from heart-healthy sources. The best sources of monos include olive oil, olives, canola oil (also a good source of omega-3s), most nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios), avocados, peanuts, and peanut butter. You want up to 15 percent or more of your daily calories to come from this fat. Here are seven ways to automatically meet that goal:
Dress salads in olive oil. Buy salad dressing made with olive oil, or make your own. (Bonus: A dressing with fat means you absorb more protective carotenoids from your veggies.)
Go nuts. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons toasted, chopped nuts a day on cereal, yogurt, stir-fries, casseroles, rice dishes, or cream soups.
Dip crusty bread in olive oil.
Opt for olive oil in cooking. Though you can find special high-mono sunflower and safflower oils (called high-oleic), they’re not good substitutes for olive oil, since they lack the disease-fighting phytochemicals that olive oil contains.Savor peanut butter. Enjoy peanut butter in moderate amounts (1 or 2 tablespoons).
Appreciate avocados. Stop passing up this delicious treat. One-quarter of an avocado packs 4.5 g monounsaturates.
Flavor up with olives. Add punch to salads and casseroles with chopped olives.
Easy Ways to Cut Back
As for those other not-so-healthy fats, you’ve got three different types to keep in check: omega-6 fats, saturated fats, and trans fats. Omega-6 fats Our diets must have some of these polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oils such as corn oil. But we’ve gone overboard and need to cut back. Experts think humans evolved on a diet of equal portions of omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Today, because we eat so much corn, soybean, and cottonseed oil, we get 10 to 20 times more omega-6s than the Stone Age person. In your body, that hinders the work of omega-3s. It lowers LDL cholesterol but can also reduce healthy HDL cholesterol. Some research hints that it could also encourage breast cancer. Aim for no more than four times as much omega-6s as you get of omega-3s, or about 6 g a day. Here’s how:
Make or buy salad dressing with olive oil. Bottled salad dressings are often soybean-oil based.Use olive or canola oil for cooking and baking instead of corn, safflower, or sunflower oil.Margarine and mayonnaise are often made from soybean oil or other oils high omega-6s. Look for brands made from canola oil instead.
Saturated fats These are the prime dietary suspects when it comes to high LDL cholesterol levels (the stuff that clogs your arteries). Keep these fats to a minimum. You get saturated fats from fatty cuts of meat, poultry skin, whole and 2 percent milk, whole cheese, butter, premium ice cream, and coconut oil. You want to get only 7% or less of your total daily calories from these fats. Here are six ways to meet that goal:
Have more all-veggie meals.Drink fat-free or 1 percent milk.Choose reduced-fat or fat-free cheese.Eat meat sparingly; choose extra-lean cuts.Enjoy fat-free or low-fat frozen yogurt and ice cream instead of premium brands.Eat the chicken, hold the skin, which contains the largest share of saturated fat.
Trans fats A pervasive presence in processed foods and fast foods, these fats have been found to raise LDL cholesterol levels and lower levels of HDL cholesterol. There’s also a possible link to breast cancer. You’ll find them in fried fast foods and processed foods (margarines, cookies, crackers, frozen entrees) with partially hydrogenated oil as an ingredient. Eliminate if possible, but set a maximum intake of 1 g a day. Here are easy ways to cut back on trans fats:
When you shop for crackers, cookies, frozen entrées and desserts, and snack cakes, choose products without partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list. Don’t assume all health food-store products are trans-free; check the label.Switch to trans-free margarines. Any fat-free margarine is good, as well as Country Morning Blend Light, Brummel & Brown Spread Made with Yogurt, Promise Ultra Spread, and Spectrum Naturals (sold in natural food stores).At the drive-thru, order a small, plain hamburger or grilled chicken sandwich without mayo instead of a fried fish fillet sandwich or chicken nuggets.Skip the french fries. Instead, order a baked potato without sour cream and butter.
MORE: How Italians Stay So Slim
