'Good fat' cuts heart risk by a fifth, study shows

[steven johnson]

Monounsaturated fats lower LDL "bad" cholesterol, while increasing HDL "good" cholesterolThey come from nuts like peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios as well as avocado, canola oil, and olive oil.

Not all fat is bad.

Bon Appetit.

http://www.ibtimes.com/contents/20100310/3-healthy-fats-you-should-be-eating.htm

Replacing saturated fats with healthier options can cut the risk of heart disease by a fifth, a US study says.

The Harvard Medical School reports adds weight to the growing evidence about polyunsaturated fats, found in some fih and vegetable oils.

Experts said cutting down on saturated fats, found in butter and meat, was just one part of a healthy diet.

In comparison, polyunsaturated fats have the opposite effect by increasing the levels of good cholesterol.

The Harvard analysis suggested that for every 5% increase in polyunsaturated fat consumption there was a 10% fall in heart disease.

'Good fat' cuts heart risk by a fifth, study shows

[onehandle]

1. As I sit here dipping crusty french bread into extra-virgin olive oil.

I haven't had butter on bread for years. Don't miss it at all.

We do all of our cooking with olive oil.

[tabatha]

2. I have always been a nut lover.

[begin_within]

4. I could practically live on dried fruits and nuts.

A little milk and I'm happy.

[tabatha]

12. I have even exchanged Almond Milk (no sweetener) for real milk.

Heated up with organic cocoa (no sweetener) is my cup o' for the morning.

[begin_within]

14. Haven't tried that yet.

I'm not a fan of soy milk, but I'm willing to give almond milk a fair try.

[midnight]

3. It helps to review this stuff. This household has been enjoying those

bangles with butter. I will go back to whipping half butter and olive oil... They really can't tell the difference to much.

[kestrel91316]

5. Haven't used margarine for 30 years. Haven't used shortening for over 20 years.

Olive oil, canola oil, modest amounts of lard and butter. And I don't avoid nuts. Last I checked, my lipid profile was shockingly good.

IMHO trans fats are one of the worst things you can put in your body - right up there with tobacco smoke.

[Birthmark]

6. Oh, great.

Now I don't know which to drop first, the cigarette or the stick of butter I'm munching on.

Actually, it doesn't matter. The bacon is taking up the only available space on the desk.

:)

[ashling]

7. That is music to my deep fried soul

The only kinds of oil I use are olive and Canola . . . I admit I have a place in my heart - and in my refrigerator - for butter, however.

[redraider1974]

8. If I buy a large bag of pistachio nuts

I can't stop eating them till I've eaten the whole bag. I love pistachio nuts!

[cascadiance]

10. Moderation for everything is the key... Careful on other issues with nuts, etc.

Different nuts can contain higher levels of calcium, oxalates, etc. that if you overdo them as well, can contribute to conditions like kidney stones and gout.

I have a feeling that my heavy "addiction" to pistachio nuts when I was a kid living in areas where they were pretty common, and my love for them, probably contributed to those conditions I have now.

Just because they have a good counterbalancing effect to saturated fats doesn't mean we shouldn't eat them also with care as well.

[elocs]

9. I just had some walnuts and almonds in my oatmeal as I do every morning.

My morning breakfast:

a handful of extra plump raisins in the bottom of the bowl;
some old fashioned oatmeal;
a handful of walnuts and almonds;
add (in winter) frozen blueberries, stawberries, blackberries, raspberries, & mango;
top with apple juice which I juiced myself (I don't use milk anymore since I read that it hurts the antioxidizing effects of the blueberries);
nuke for 3.5 minutes and stir.

Along with it I have a banana and a glass of o.j. (o.j. with oatmeal does something good). But I think that's one hell of a healthy breakfast.

I also use olive oil all the time.

[hedgehog]

11. I'm really wondering if saturated fat is the villain it's portrayed to

be, or if it's saturated fat from grain-fed cattle that's the problem. The fat profile from grass fed cattle is different.

What about all the peoples who depended on cattle herds?Did they all drop dead early from heart disease?

[tabatha]

13. Yep, I would eat grass-fed beef or venison.

[Abq_Sarah]

16. There is some suspicion

That it's the Omega3/Omega6 ratio that's out of whack. The ratio is different in grass fed vs corn fed beef. Grass fed is a little more difficult to get on a regular basis here (and twice as expensive) so I supplement with Omega 3 in the form of Krill oil.

[Quantess]

15. And yet, the French consume a lot of cream and butter

and have healthier hearts than Americans, on average.

[RagAss]

18. True and they smoke more too.....I think being American causes heart disease.

[nickinSTL]

17. more good news for my recent dietary changes, then

Just recently changed from snacking on cheese to snacking on almonds. Plus a lot of other changes, but that's the big one regarding healthy fats - and we've always cooked with olive oil.