Tag Archives: healthy fats

The Skinny on Good Fats and Bad Fats: How both will affect your health

25 Jun
Meg is epicurious and has a strong passion for cooking healthy meals on a budget. Her passion for food and nutrition stems from a young age with exposure to cuisine from various cultures. Originally from New York, she moved to Tallahassee, Florida to receive a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics at the Florida State University. Upon graduating, She took one step further to become a nutrition blogger in the dietetics field. She is currently a graduate student studying Clinical Nutrition at the Florida State University with the intent of becoming a Registered Dietitian post-grad. She believes that food has a unique ability to bond people from around the world, to create new relationships, and to cement old friendships. She aims to share her nutrition knowledge with others and to encourage healthy lifestyles through fitness and nutrition.

Meg is epicurious and has a strong passion for cooking healthy meals on a budget. Her passion for food and nutrition stems from a young age with exposure to cuisine from various cultures. Originally from New York, she moved to Tallahassee, Florida to receive a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics at the Florida State University. Upon graduating, She took one step further to become a nutrition blogger in the dietetics field. She is currently a graduate student studying Clinical Nutrition at the Florida State University with the intent of becoming a Registered Dietitian post-grad. She believes that food has a unique ability to bond people from around the world, to create new relationships, and to cement old friendships. She aims to share her nutrition knowledge with others and to encourage healthy lifestyles through fitness and nutrition.

Meg Khan-Karen is a guest blogger for Layman’s Terms Media. Periodically she will post thoughtful articles about leading a healthy lifestyle on a budget. Check out her Facebook page Daily Fit Dish by MegKKFit  for nutritious recipes at a reasonable price. Also follow her on Twitter.

By: Meg Khan-Karen, Nutrition blogger

Diet trends come in waves. One decade we see the rejection of carbohydrates, and we shun animal products the next. Some of you reading this right now may remember the low fat craze of the 90’s–it was then that fat got a bad rep. The reputation has stuck so much that “fat” is now considered an insult.

Well, I’m here to tell you that fat is not bad for you. In fact, it’s necessary for our health and our well-being!

Let’s start with the basics. We often refer to fat molecules as “triglycerides” because a fat molecule consists of a glycerol “backbone” with three fatty acid chains attached. The fatty acid chains that makes up this fat molecule can either be saturated (meaning it is fully surrounded by hydrogen atoms) or it can be unsaturated meaning there are double bonds between the carbons and it is not fully surrounded by hydrogen atoms.

Here’s an example of the structural difference between a saturated fatty acid and an unsaturated fatty acid:

Credit: faculty.clintoncc.suny.edu

Credit: faculty.clintoncc.suny.edu

 Your body needs these fats to function on a daily basis. Not only do we acquire fat in our diet from plant and animal sources but we also make our own. The importance of fat in the body includes different functions including aiding in vitamin A,D, E, and K, the fat soluble vitamins.

Fats also aid in maintaining healthy metabolism, building strong hair, nails and smooth skin and cushioning our organs.  And, of course fats act as a readily available source of energy –whether you’re going for a long run or pushing through your daily routine. Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Fats & oils aren’t all bad: New study shows olive oil makes you feel full

15 Mar

The benefits of olive oil, a monounsaturated fatty acid, have been well documented: lowered risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol and the ability to normalize blood clots are just a few.

But, a new study suggests that olive oil can also help you feel full and the reason was a surprise to the researchers at Technische Universität Münchendownload in Germany. The study suggests that the aroma of the ingredient played a role in the feeling of fullness.

Work groups under Prof. Peter Schieberle and at the University of Vienna under Prof. Veronika Somoza looked at the effects of four different fats and oils: Lard, butterfat, rapeseed oil and olive oil. Study participants were studied over three months and asked to consume 500 grams of low-fat yogurt containing one of the fats or oils each day as a supplement to their normal diet.

“Olive oil had the biggest satiety effect,” Schieberle said in a press release. “The olive oil group showed a higher concentration of the satiety hormone serotonin in their blood. Subjectively speaking, these participants also reported that they found the olive oil yogurt very filling.”

No weight gains in the study group were reported.

“The findings surprised us,” Schieberle said, “because rapeseed oil and olive oil contain similar fatty acids.”

Confused by the findings, the researchers decided to look at a different component of olive oil: the aroma. In an experiment, some participants were given yogurt with olive oil aroma extracts and the control group was given plain yogurt.

The results showed that the control group consumed 176 more kilocalories a day.

“The aroma group adapted their eating habits, but the control group participants were obviously not able to do likewise,” Schieberle said.  “We also found that in comparison to the other group, the control group had less of the satiety hormone serotonin in their blood.”

The study used olive oil from Spain, Greece, Italy and Australia and found that Italian olive oil contained larger amounts of the two aroma compounds responsible for the satiety effect: Hexanal and E2-Hexenal.

“Our findings show that aroma is capable of regulating satiety,” Schieberle said. “We hope that this work will pave the way for the development of more effective reduced-fat food products that are nonetheless satiating.”

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,