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Memory Preservation Nutrition
Essential Fats For Good Health
By
Nancy Emerson
Lombardo with Guest Co-authors:
Cheryl Franchi, Kristina Scangas and Samantha Turner |
 In
previous issues of South Shore Senior News, we
reviewed the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids for
our good health and well-being, identified food
sources of this key nutrient and shared some
wonderful recipes to help you include these “super
foods” in your diet. This month we discuss the other
healthy “favorite” fats, and introduce the unhealthy
ones we’ll detail next month. Related articles and
recipes can be found on our web site,
www.healthcareinsights.net. Omega- 3 fatty acids are
a type of polyunsaturated fat and, as we learned, an
essential component of a brain healthy diet. There
are actually several types of fats in our diet, and
it’s important to understand what they are, how they
affect our health and what we should include in our
diets to optimize our health (including brain
health), and help reduce our risk for developing
many chronic conditions.
Part of our effort here is to dispel the myth that
all fats are bad and that all “fat-free” foods are
good. In the not-so-distant past, fat intake was
greatly discouraged and there were those who
recommended severely limiting total fat intake. This
advice was based on studies indicating diets too
high in fat, especially certain types of fat, would
increase the risk for several chronic conditions,
including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
certain types of cancers, as well as cognitive
decline.
Health Benefits Of Fats
Fortunately it’s almost impossible to remove fat
completely from our diets, since it would be
unhealthy to do so. Contrary to what many people
think, fats are a key nutrient in our diet, are key
components of every brain and body cell and are
essential to many functions in the body. For
example, fats play a vital role in maintaining
healthy hair and skin, help maintain body
temperature, insulate organs in our body against
shock, and, at nine calories per gram, fats provide
a significant source of calories that can be used as
a source of energy. Additionally, they help the body
to absorb and distribute the fat-soluble vitamins A,
D, E and K and carotenoids. Furthermore, fatty acids
are an integral component of cell membrane structure
and help to maintain healthy cell function in the
brain and body. We couldn’t think, feel, move or
live without fat!
Another benefit of including some fat in the diet is
that it adds flavor and, because fat takes longer to
digest than carbohydrates and proteins, it helps to
satisfy hunger by making you feel full for a longer
period of time. Further, fat content in foods help
slow the absorption of unrefined sugars and carbs,
giving your body (and antioxidants you hopefully
also consumed) a better chance of dealing with these
unhealthy foods.
High Caloric Content
Caution. Fats do provide a concentrated
source of calories (120 calories per tablespoon),
thus we must choose our fats wisely, to avoid
excessive calorie intake, which can have adverse
health effects through weight gain.
What Fats?
The type of fat you eat is just as important as
the total amount of fat in your diet. Evidence
suggests that different types of fats have different
effects on health. When consumed in moderate
amounts, some fats offer health-protective benefits.
There are three main types of fats: saturated,
unsaturated, and trans fats. Fats are made of
varying combinations of fatty acids and may be
either solid or liquid at room temperature,
depending on their structure and composition. Some
fats are saturated (harder at room temperature)
while others are unsaturated (liquid at room
temperature).
Less Healthy Fats
Saturated and trans fats are the less healthy
kinds of fats that you should try to limit in your
diet. These fats can increase your risk of heart
disease by increasing your total and LDL (bad)
cholesterol. One reason eating more plant foods and
fewer animal foods helps us obtain healthier fat
balances is that plant foods contain no cholesterol.
See our February edition for more information on
saturated fats and trans fats. http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Trans_fat and http://www.mayoclinic.
com/health/trans-fat/CL00032
Health Favorite Fats
In contrast, the unsaturated fats can have
beneficial effects on health when consumed in
moderation and as part of an overall balanced diet.
There are two types of unsaturated fatty acids,
monounsaturated (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated (PUFAs).
The essential Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are
types of polyunsaturated fats.
Both MUFAs and PUFAs provide health benefits by
lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
Monounsaturated fats have the additional benefit of
maintaining, and perhaps increasing levels of HDL
(the good cholesterol). Evidence is building that
diets rich in mono-unsaturated fats, such as the
Mediterranean Diet, are brain healthy.
Sources Of Monounsaturated Fats Good sources of
monounsaturated fats are avocados, plant oils such
as canola, olive, and peanut oils and a variety of
nuts and nut butters including almonds, brazil nuts,
cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), macadamia nuts and
peanuts.
Essential
Fatty Acid
Fatty acids that your body can’t make are
considered “essential” (EFA stands for “essential
fatty acid.” That means we must consume them in our
diets to maintain good health. As we learned in
previous articles, there are two basic EFA’s, both
plant based: alpha-linolenic acid (an Omega-3 fatty
acid), and linoleic acid (an Omega-6 fatty acid).
Our bodies can build the longer chain Omega 3’s that
actually comprise parts of our brains and body
cells, EPA and DHA, which we wrote about in the last
two articles (available on line at
www.southshoresenior.com). However, it is more
reliable to get EPA and DHA directly from fish,
seafood and fish or other marine oils (calamari,
algae).
While both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are
essential for the body, there is an ideal ratio of
Omega-3’s to Omega-6’s that must be maintained for
optimal health. That ideal ratio is what our cave
dwelling ancestors experienced based on
archeological evidence: 4 to 1 units of Omega 6’s
for every unit of Omega 3’s. Today most American’s
consume a greatly imbalanced ratio of 20 to 30 units
of Omega 6’s for every unit of Omega’s 3’s. Many
scientists believe this imbalance is one of the key
factors behind many chronic diseases afflicting our
citizens. Omega-6 fatty acids tend to be more widely
available in foods, including vegetable oils,
shortenings, nuts, meats, salad dressings,
margarines and processed foods in general, in
grains, and in many animal foods. Omega 3’s are
present in green leafy vegetables, in a few nuts
(walnuts) and seeds (flax and chia), and in fish,
seafood and grass/vegetation fed animals (see
January issue at www. southshoresenior.com).
The imbalance of Omega 6’s and 3’s is very harmful
to the brain and body for multiple reasons. First
and foremost, Omega 6’s are pro-inflammatory while
omega 3’s are anti-inflammatory. Having an excess of
Omega 6’s, or deficiency in Omega 3’s, results in
inflammation through the body and brain.
Furthermore, excess Omega 6’s, especially from
animal sources, has been linked to a buildup of
excess arachidonic acid in the brain, especially the
hippocampus, which in response shrinks or atrophies.
For sources of Omega 3’s, see our website at http://healthcareinsights.net/home/
newsletters/december-2010-newsletter/. Choosing a
variety of foods that contain these EFA’s, in the
right balance, is the key to helping moderate the
inflammatory process, which has been linked to many
chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart disease,
certain types of cancer, and cognitive decline, and
specifically, Alzheimer’s disease.
Beware “Fat-Free”
Many food manufacturers have developed
“fat-free” products such as cookies, cakes, snack
foods, salad dressings and other food products that,
although devoid of fat, often contain significantly
greater amounts of calories, sugar, sodium,
preservatives, additives and other ingredients that
are not beneficial to our health. In fact, despite
the widespread availability and ingestion of these
products, the incidence of obesity has continued to
rise to epidemic proportions and this is a major
risk factor in the development of the adverse health
conditions listed above. The MPN™ program does not
encourage the use of “fatfree” products. Instead,
focus on eating healthy fats and reducing
consumption of sugar and salt food additives, the
unhealthy saturated fats and avoid transfats
altogether.
How Much And Which Fats?
All fats, even if they are monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated, are high in calories. Fat contains
nine calories per gram (a measure of weight). In
comparison, protein and carbohydrates only contain
four calories per gram. So remember, when it comes
to fats, the key to maintaining optimal health is
eating the right types in moderate amounts.
Limit total fat intake to 20 to 35 percent of daily
calories for a 2,000-calorie-aday diet. This amounts
to about 44 to 78 grams of total fat a day. Of this,
no more than 16 grams should be saturated fats.
About half of the remaining 14-32 calories should be
comprised of mono-unsaturated fatty acids, and at
least 4 to 8 grams of Omega 3’s daily (from
vegetables, seed/ nut and fish/seafood/seaweed
sources). For a 1,500 calories diet, get between 25
percent and 35 percent of calories from fat,
primarily the healthy unsaturated (MUFAs and PUFAs)
fats found in plant oils, fatty fish, nuts and
avocados. This means about 375 to 525 fat calories
daily, or because one gram of fat contains nine
calories, 42 to 58 total grams of fat. For all
diets, try to skip all foods containing trans fats.
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About The Author
Nancy Emerson Lombardo, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized
researcher and lecturer on brain healthy lifestyles. She is
President of HealthCare Insights, LLC and developer of the
Memory Preservation Nutrition® program of brain healthy
foods, the Brain Health and Wellness Center® as well as
Adjunct Professor of Neurology at Boston University School
of Medicine. She is available for consultation to
individuals and companies, including group meal services.
She can be reached by email at nemerson@healthcareinsights.net,
or by telephone at (978) 621-1926.
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