Just when you thought dietary news couldn't get much worse, here's another food zinger.
The public has known for a fairly long time that foods high in saturated fat (red meat, full fat dairy products and so forth) increases our LDL (aka "bad' cholesterol) levels and raises our risk of developing heart disease. Some of those folks who have never had to worry about their cholesterol levels have not paid much attention to their daily intake of saturated fats. Some surveys suggest that on average, Americans consume about 12% of daily calories from saturated fat. The newest dietary guidelines suggest a maximum of 10% (or 20 grams a day) for the average adult.
But now, new studies suggest that saturated fats are worse that we originally thought. Not only do they contribute to bad cholesterol, but they have been found to interfere with the function of insulin, which could possibly lead to diabetes, and to raise the risk of cancer, ovarian problems in women and other detrimental health effects.
The average adult in the U.S. needs to cut their saturated fat intake by 5 to 10 grams a day. But how do you do that?
Fortunately, reducing saturated fat isn't all that difficult. First, read the labels on the packages of the foods you buy, to avoid ingesting products high in saturated fat. Usually, food manufacturers are not primarily concerned with the health of your arteries, much less the functioning of your pancreas, when they implore you to purchase their products. No big surprise there.
Second, think about substituting skinless chicken or seafood for red meat in your diet whenever possible.
Third, switch from whole milk to skim or 1%. Substitute a small amount of good quality olive oil for butter or margarine.
Some folks like to implement these changes slowly or others do it all at once. Either way, you win.
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