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		Tales from the Deep... Fryer that is... About Lowering Fat in the Diet By Terri Scanlon Managing Director, Reslife.Net In the stressful life of a residential living/housing professional, it is important from time to time to take a moment and focus on the things that can enhance your overall personal well being. Along with exercise, relaxation and stress reduction, have you considered recently the food choices that you make on a daily basis and their impact on your overall health? A diet lower in fat can reduce many health problems and reduce calories. Diets high in certain types of fat has been linked to a myriad of health problems, including obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, and stroke. Additionally, many nutritionists and cancer specialists recommend the reduction of fat in the diet as a cancer prevention strategy. In addition to reducing health problems the benefits of reducing fat in the diet are two-fold; limiting fat in the diet typically reduces calories, as foods that are high in fat generally have two times more calories that foods that are lower in fat. About Fat. Before we go much further though, lets begin with a little education about fat. Some fat in the diet is important in that it aids in the transportation of fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E and K. Fat in the diet cushions organs, and provides for insulation and assistance with digestion. Some fat is good and some not so good. Omega 6, or lineolic is polyunsaturated fat that is an essential fatty acid that is found in corn, soy, and other vegetables. Small amounts of this fat are needed, but this type of fat sustains cancer cells, so go easy on this type of fat. Omega 3 or Alpha-linolenic is another type of polyunsaturated fat, and is the best of all fat consumed. Cold water fish and flax are high in this type of oil, which has been noted in preventing both heart disease and cancer. Monounsaturated fats (olives, olive oil, avocados and peanuts) have not been linked to cancer, in fact they have been linked in the fight against cancer. Fats from animal products are known as saturated fats. They are found in meat, butter, cheese and eggs, and as a general rule they are typically solid at room temperature. Linked strongly to cardiovascular disease, their relationship to cancer is less known at this time. Transfats, which are found in many pre-packaged snacks, have been linked to both heart disease and cancer. How much fat should one consume in a day? Regardless of type, fat in your diet should be limited to no more than 30 % of the total calories you consume in a day, and the total number of saturated fats should be limited to no more than 10 % of total calories. Fat is counted by the gram, and generally adults need a minimum of 15 to 25 grams of fat per day for the body to properly maintain itself. Refer to the chart below taken from the book, The Complete and Up-To Date Fat Book, by Karen Bellerson to find out your recommended fat consumption per day. Calories/Day Recommended Fat Grams/Day For 30 % total fat consumed Recommended Calories in Fat 1200 40 360 1300 43 367 1400 46 414 1500 50 450 1600 53 477 1700 56 504 1800 60 540 1900 63 567 2000 66 594 2100 70 630 2200 73 657 2300 76 684 2400 80 720 2500 83 747 2600 86 774 2700 90 810 2800 93 837 2900 96 864 3000 100 900 Becoming an educated fat consumer. Changing eating habits of a lifetime can be a challenge. As you make the commitment to lowering the consumption of fat in your diet, make a small investment into a book that lists the number of grams of fat in different foods. In addition, pay attention to the labels placed on foods that indicate the total grams of fat present in food servings. When you begin, set your daily allotment of grams of fat per day, and start counting... Tips for reducing fat in the diet. Substitute turkey, chicken and fish for red meat. Eliminate the skin from chicken and cut all fat from meat prior to cooking. Substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for ground beef. Ground turkey has approximately 4 grams of fat less per serving than ground chicken. Substitute ground turkey breast meat for regular ground turkey. Ground turkey breast meat has only 1.5 grams of fat per serving, as opposed to regular ground turkey that on average has 7 grams of fat per serving. If you use ground beef, buy the leanest you can buy. When sautéing vegetables for cooking, cook in water instead of oil. Water has 0 grams of fat while a tablespoon of vegetable oil has 14 grams of fat. When you use oil, make sure it is olive oil. When baking, substitute applesauce for oil or butter. Use twice the amount of applesauce as what is called for in the recipe for butter or oil. Buy light butter vs. regular butter at the store and you cut the fat from 14 grams per tablespoon to 7. Eggs bought in the store come in a low fat variety. Organically grown eggs are sometimes less in fat, with only 3 grams vs. 6 grams of fat. Eliminate the egg yolk in recipes. By using only the white part of the egg, you have saved 6 grams of fat per egg. When eliminating the yolk, double the amount of egg whites used. Drink skim milk vs. regular milk. Skim milk has 0 grams of fat. Substitute frozen yogurt for ice cream. Many frozen yogurts come in a fat free variety, and they are delicious. To save the taste, use a combination of low or no fat items with the regular or "high fat" items that you normally use. As an example, when you make that tuna macaroni salad, mix in low fat as well as regular mayonnaise, to save the taste and cut the fat. Make your own salad dressing vs. buying it in the store. When you make your own, you can use olive vs. other oils, and it might taste better as well as being better for you. Use Canadian bacon (only around 1 gram of fat per serving) vs. regular bacon (which is fat loaded). Purchase low fat cookbooks, which provide you with fat gram counts per serving of food items prepared. When cooking from a non-low-fat cookbook, substitute lower fat items when possible. Recommended Reading Bellerson, Karen J, The Complete and Up-To-Date Fat Book. Avery Publishing Group, Garden City Park, New York, 1991. Cowley, Geoffrey. "Cancer & Diet." Newsweek, 30 November 1998: 60-66. American Institute For Cancer Research, Information Series. All About Fat and Cancer Risk, (1993). About the Author A reformed past fat consumer, Terri Scanlon has been working to reduce fat consumption and make healthy eating choices for about 5 years now.