 |
Dr. Swati Piramal is the Chief Scientific Officer of Nicholas-Piramal
India Ltd. and Piramal Hospital. She is the co-author
of Eat Your Way to Good Health, a complete fitness guide
for the family. Her e-mail address is spiramal@vsnl.com |
Fats are an essential part of the diet and a good source
of energy. They insulate the body and are carriers of fat
soluble vitamins. The body stores all extra calories in the
form of fat.
Cholesterol is essential to the human body in small amounts
for the manufacture of hormones. However, a high level of
blood cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. Saturated
fats raise cholesterol levels in the blood while unsaturated
fats help lower it.
Adopt a diet with total dietary fat intake of less than 30%
of total calories, with less than 10% calories from saturated
fats, limit polyunsaturated fat intake to less than 10% of
calories and limit daily cholesterol intake to less than 250
to 300mg. (This does not apply to children less than 2 years).
Choose foods relatively low in fat and cholesterol such as
vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and low fat dairy products.
Fats can change in nature when heated and so avoid using
the same repeatedly. Use cooking methods that add little fat
to the recipe, like grilling, baking, poaching, instead of
frying.
Caution! All fats are high in calories. All fats whether
from vegetable oil, ghee, butter, animal fat contain the same
calories per gram. Fats derived from animal sources such as
dairy products, egg yolks and meat contain. Fats derived from
vegetable sources do not contain cholesterol.
1. Reducing dietary fat is essential for good health.
Its link with a multitude of problems is a major reason for
reducing total fat intake to less than 30% of total calories.
This reduction need not occur over-night. Gradual transition
is essential to assist the diet pattern to be altered slowly
yet permanently.
2. Clear your ideas on fats and cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance which has a number of important
roles in the body. Cholesterol is not an essential nutrient;
our bodies make all the cholesterol we need. It is present
in all animal tissues and is found in all foods of animal
origin - eggs, meat, poultry, fish and dairy produce. It is,
however, totally absent from plant foods. Cholesterol is carried
through the blood linked to proteins called lipoproteins.
Low density lipoproteins (LDL's) transport most of the cholesterol
and deliver it to the cells in the body. When the diet contains
large amounts of saturated fats, the liver correspondingly
produces large amounts of LDLs, that is the so-called "bad"
cholesterol, which contributes to the build up of cholesterol
in the body.
High density lipoproteins (HDL's) carry a smaller amount
of cholesterol. They transport it to the liver where it is
excreted into the intestine in the form of bile. HDL's are
considered to be the desirable lipoproteins to have and are
the so-called "good" cholesterol's.
For the standpoint of heart health, all fats and oils are
not equal - some are more heart healthy than others.
|
