Fat Calories and a Healthy Diet

Fat Calories and a Healthy Diet

“How much fat is too much?” “How many fat calories should I eat?” “How much fat is considered healthy?” These are questions that I hear all the time. There’s an easy equation for solving for ‘x’, if ‘x’ is the amount of fat you should eat. Take the number of calories you should eat each day, divide by the percentage of fat intake (we’ll say 25%) and you’ll get the number of fat calories in your diet. Take that number and divide by 9 and you’ll get the number of grams of fat in your daily diet (since there are 9 calories per gram of fat).

If you aren’t sure how much fat you should eat each day, visit www.3days3ways.com to get your free wellness profile.

Tracking fat calories

Do you really want to do that each day? Some people do, and that’s great, but most of us don’t. Luckily, there are some easy ways to control the amount of fat in your diet while not compromising flavor, or feeling deprived.

First, steer clear of deep fried foods. I can hear the grumbles coming from Mississippi now. No, I’m not picking on our neighbors to the south, but my time on the Gulf Coast introduced me to a wide range of deep fried foods, including deep fried cauliflower. Now, you don’t have to eliminate these foods, just treat them as a sometimes item rather than a staple. Deep fried foods not only include the battered and fried items everyone thinks of, but also things like potato chips.

Second, switch to low fat versions of foods you use frequently like milk and mayonnaise. For occasional items like ice cream, provided it really is an occasional treat, stick with the regular version. Why turn a special, occasional treat into an occasion for discipline? Unless you’re into that sort of thing. Moving on…

Third, eat lean proteins. Now, when it comes to lean protein choices, conventional wisdom turns our attention to “poultry breast, fish, shellfish, egg whites, nonfat dairy

products and soy products; they have much less fat than steaks, ground meats and

sausage” (Bowerman). And I agree with this list to a point. When people buy steak, they go for marbling, which is the white specks of fat in the meat. Fat gives the meat flavor and keeps it moist, provided you don’t cook it into shoe leather. However, loin and center-cut ribeye have just as much fat as a chicken breast, ounce for ounce. So you can make good choices when looking for red meat. Look at the nutrition labels, which brings us to our next point.

Fourth, read the nutrition labels. If you are trying to make yourself aware of the fat calories in your diet, make a point of checking the nutrition labels and doing the math. Yes, it will be a chore at first, but as you educate yourself in the amount of fat per portion size (and you mind the portion size), tracking your fat intake and making good choices will get easier. This is just like starting a new job. At first, it takes a little more time, but after a while you get faster and it seems like second nature.

Fifth, and this goes back to the topic of cooking, use smaller amounts of oil, or use substitutes for oil. Graham Kerr, long ago, did a demonstration showing that one cup of onions can be caramelized using a single teaspoon of oil instead of a tablespoon. But, you can caramelize onions without oil at all, as demonstrated by Chris Daniels for Healthy Eating. My own method differs slightly. After adding the onions and the seasoning, I add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, but not submerge the chopped onions. I put the lid on the pan, over medium heat, for eight minutes. After eight minutes, I take the lid off the pan and let the remaining water evaporate, after which I brown and deglaze until the desired level of caramelization is reached. Using the water at the start softens the onions more quickly and prevents the smaller pieces from burning up before the rest finish caramelizing.

Wow, that’s a lot of talk about onions, but you can cook many vegetables in the same way. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan but not submerge the vegetables. Cover to steam (the length of time depends on the type of vegetable you’re cooking and how you’ve prepared it), and then uncover and let the remaining water evaporate. When you hear it sizzle, season and serve, or proceed with your recipe. But why just use water? You can use chicken broth or white wine just as well. Do not use “cooking wine” which is an abomination. If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it. But, what if you’re not cooking vegetables? You probably know that you can substitute part of the oil in baked goods with apple sauce or chia gel to keep the batter moist. A tablespoon of water in a non-stick pan over medium heat will keep eggs from sticking. What are you cooking? Leave me a comment below and I’ll give you a suggestion.

Sixth, if you eat regularly in restaurants, and I’m talking more than twice a week, make it a point to order something grilled, broiled, or baked. These cooking methods tend to use less fat. You can lower your fat intake this way, and yes, you can still treat yourself periodically.

Lastly, if dessert is something you eat regularly, switch to fresh fruits and sorbets, while enjoying a special dessert occasionally. If you typically snack during the day, choose lean protein, low-fat cottage cheese, or crisp veggies. Like everything else, you can still enjoy an occasional treat.

Visit www.3days3ways.com and get the skinny on your fat intake with your free wellness profile.

Lowering your fat intake doesn’t have to mean giving up your favorite foods or depriving yourself. In fact, it can be a game, if you treat it that way. Keeping track of your fat calories will take some focus, but if you keep at it, it will get easier.

Sources:

Bowerman, Susan MS, RD, CSSD, FAND. “How Much Fat Should You Eat?”