A lot of us have been taught that fats are bad for men’s health. Low-fat diets are common and encourage us to eliminate as much fat as possible from our eating plan. But contrary to popular belief, all fats are not bad for you. In fact, men need fats to survive. Here’s an overview of what fat is and the different types of fat you’ll see on product labels.
What are fats?
Fats are essential nutrients that provide our bodies with energy and are needed for hormone production. They’re one of the three major macronutrients (carbs and proteins are the others). Your body needs fat to function properly. Without fat, your body wouldn’t be able to absorb certain vitamins, make important hormones or operate at peak performance.
Problems arise when you start eating too much bad fats. Consuming large amounts of certain types of dietary fat may increase your risk of heart disease, cholesterol, cancer and other health conditions. Making matters worse is that these fats are found in a lot of our favorite foods like pizza, burgers and pastries.
To help you navigate the different fats you’ll find on product labels – and keep you healthy – we’ve put together this primer on the four fats to look out for. Ultimately, there’s no need to be afraid of fats; you need them. Just limit the bad fats and more of the good ones – it’s that simple.
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How Much Fat Do You Need?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set recommended daily allowances for the different types of fats. For the average adult male eating a 2,000 calorie diet, here are the guidelines:
Total Fat: 65 grams
Saturated Fat: No more than 20 grams
Trans Fat: No specific recommendation. Should be avoided as much as possible.
Monounsaturated Fats: No specific recommendation but should not exceed Total Fat threshold.
Polyunsaturated Fats: No specific recommendation but should not exceed Total Fat threshold.
The Bad Guys
Saturated Fat – Saturated fat is a bad fat that gets its name from being “saturated” with hydrogen atoms. This bad fat is typically found in meat and certain vegetable products. Beef and pork are common culprits as well as coconut oil and palm oil. Why is saturated fat so bad? It raises the bad cholesterol – LDL cholesterol – that can contribute to heart disease and an assortment of other health conditions. The American Heart Association recommends you limit your daily intake of saturated fat to less than 16 grams. Here are some popular foods and their saturated fat content:
– 2% Reduced Fat Milk (1 cup): 3 grams
– American Cheese (1 slice): 4 grams
– Medium Croissant: 6 grams
– Regular Ground Beef (3 oz.) – 6 grams
– Pizza (1 slice) – 1-10 grams depending on toppings and crust
Trans Fat – Not many people used to know about trans fat – mainly because it was never listed on food labels. That all changed in 2006 when companies were required to reveal trans fat content on all food labels. Trans fat is an unsaturated fat, a type of fat that is usually good for you. What makes trans fat different from healthy unsaturated fat is the partial hydrogenation process (the process of adding some hydrogen atoms). This process creates fats extend the shelf life of food products at a low cost to companies. Unfortunately for consumers, trans fat also raises the amount of bad cholesterol in your body. You can find large amounts of trans fat in fried foods and baked goods. While many fast-food restaurants have cut out trans fat, sit-down restaurants haven’t. Avoid the following:
– Fried appetizers: mozzarella sticks, loaded fries, potato skins, etc.
– Fried + baked desserts: chocolate cake, apple pie, sundaes
– Fried snacks: potato chips, donuts, etc.
The Good Guys
Like we said earlier, not all fats are bad for you. Unsaturated fats – fats that have double-bonded carbon in their molecules – can actually help your health when consumed in moderation. Here’s a list of good unsaturated fats.
Monounsaturated Fat – Nuts, avocadoes, olive oil and canola oil are all good sources of monounsaturated fats, which can reduce bad cholesterol and help reduce free radical damage. Monounsaturated fat sources tend to be high in vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps maintain young-looking skin. You can also find this antioxidant in MenScience Advanced Antioxidants. Here are some popular foods and their monounsaturated fat content:
– Almonds (1 oz.): 9 grams
– Avocado (3 slices): about 3 grams
– Olive oil (1 tablespoon): roughly 10 grams
– Peanut Butter (2 tablespoons): about 8 grams
Polyunsaturated Fat – This type of good fat is usually plant-derived although there are notable exceptions: omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and men’s nutritional supplements can support heart health and boost your mood. Omega-6 fatty acids found in oils and CLA supplements can help increase muscle growth and fat loss. Both types of fatty acids are essential to the body, so it’s important to get adequate amounts.
– Peanut Butter (2 tablespoons): 4.5 grams
– Salmon (1 filet): 8 grams
– Regular Soymilk (1 cup): 2.5 grams
– Safflower Oil (1 tablespoon): 10 grams
Easy Ways to Eliminate Bad Fats and Add Good Fats to Your Diet
1. Eat only lean sources of protein. Saturated fats lurk in fatty cuts of beef like rib-eye and porterhouse. Stick to leaner cuts like sirloin and round to reduce your intake of bad fats without sacrificing taste. Other good protein sources are lean chicken breast, salmon and turkey (white meat). Also, try smaller portions (e.g. 8 oz. ribeye vs. 24 oz. ribeye). Use common sense.
2. Read labels. Reading food labels can be tricky. A lot of labels list the nutrition facts for one serving even though the package itself can contain more than one. So pay close attention to the following terms on your favorite products’ label: serving size, servings per container, saturated fat and trans fat. If the numbers seem high, look for a healthier product or limit yourself to one serving.
3. Clean out your kitchen. Toss out chips and other junk and replace them with healthy snacks like nuts, yogurt and fruits. These alternatives are much lower in calories and packed with good fats that will fill you up and prevent overeating. Plus throwing out junk food makes it a lot harder to eat unhealthy. After all, it’s much more of a hassle driving to buy chips than having them just a short walk away in your home.
4. Use healthier oils when cooking. The majority of cooking oils have high fat content, but there’s a big difference when it comes to their good fat/bad fat ratio. Steer clear of vegetable shortening, coconut oil and butter; instead, use canola oil or vegetable oil, which have minimal saturated fats but a high unsaturated fat content.
5. Consider men’s nutritional supplements. Fish oil supplements for men, antioxidant supplements formulated for men and CLA supplements are easy ways to boost good fat intake and promote overall health. Maybe you’re not a fish fan. Maybe you’re allergic to nuts. Using men’s nutritional supplements can help fill the nutrient gaps in your diet.
6. Start small. If you’ve analyzed your diet and realized that it is high in fat, don’t eliminate fats completely the next day – make gradual changes. Opt for skim milk instead of whole or reduced-fat. Avoid adding cheese to your next sandwich. Simple switches like these increase the likelihood that these changes eventually become habits. Ultimately, that’s what you want: long-term health.
