Tag Archives: cholesterol

“Indulgence” Fats in a Nourishing Diet

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I dislike labeling any food “good” or “bad,” but the terms do come in handy sometimes, especially when it comes to fats. Olive oil and avocados, which are full of monounsaturated fat, for instance. GOOD. The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon and flaxseeds. REALLY GOOD. Trans-fats. REALLY, REALLY BAD. But what about butter and bacon and cream? Are they all that bad?

That’s where I dispense with the “good” and “bad” labels and bring out a new one: Indulgence.

indulgence-healthy-fatsLet’s get one thing straight up-front. Our bodies need monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like those I mentioned above (olive oil, avocados, salmon, flaxseed, etc.). They play several essential roles like storing energy and regulating cell function, and also have a positive impact on blood lipid levels (they lower overall cholesterol and LDL while raising HDL). So these types of fats aren’t luxuries; they’re a necessary staple of a nourishing plate.

Saturated fat, on the other hand, is a luxury (and it raises LDL)—your body already makes all it needs. So there’s no need to look for ways to add saturated fat to your daily diet. But … saturated fats, which come primarily from meat and dairy, are the creamy, silky, buttery, melt-in your mouth fats that can pack a lot of pleasure into just a few calories, which can come in quite handy if your meals are heavy on veggies. Not every meal. Not every day. But every once in a while.

Which is why I call them “Indulgence Fats.” Here are a few ways to use them:

  • Butter – Butter is renowned for adding richness to a dish. Swirl in a tablespoon or so (off the heat) at the end of a sauté to give it body and depth. Or brown the butter slightly before sautéing your veggies, like we did with these Sauteed Radishes with Mint, for an even more complex flavor.
  • Cream – Cream brings a lush silkiness to foods. Whisk a tablespoon or two into a pasta sauce, like our Brussels Sprouts Carbonara, or dribble some into a pan sauce for a creamy texture.
  • Duck Fat – This may sound wacky, but duck fat is a terrific indulgence fat. Make our Revelationary Duck Confit, save the fat in a jar in the fridge and use it in place of oil to add ridiculous richness to things like mushrooms, onions and potatoes. One tablespoon (enough, quite frankly, to sauté mushrooms for four people) has just 4 grams of saturated fat, which is half the amount of butter.
  • Bacon – People tend to demonize bacon, which is too bad. One slice has just 40 calories and 1 gram of saturated fat, and it can add a LOT of flavor to a dish (it is high in sodium though, which is another thing entirely). Try these Clams with Bacon and Garlicky Spinach and you’ll see what I mean. I recommend chopping the raw bacon up and sautéing it with onion or garlic so the flavor permeates the ‘base’ of the dish. Then drain off all but a teaspoon or so of the fat and go on with your sauté.

Is this a green light to sit down and eat a package of bacon fried in butter for dinner tonight? Um, no. But you already know that. This is more about letting go of the paradigm that Indulgence Fats are “bad” and using them (occasionally) to enhance the wholesome foods you want to be eating more of.

Enjoy!

Food Labels: What’s in the Box?

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With our daughter now an active participant at the supermarket, I’ve become more attuned to how companies entice kids to pick up their products (“look, Mommy . . . it’s ELMO!”). But it’s not just kids who are taken in by food labels. I walked up and down the supermarket aisles last week with a keen eye towards the promises beckoning me and I found that, for the most part, the bolder the proclaimed virtues, the less likely the product was to be good for me.

food labels

Take Reduced Fat Ritz Crackers, for instance. The green stripe at the bottom of the box draws my eye toward a sunny icon proclaiming these Reduced Fat Ritz to be a “sensible solution.” They have half the fat of original Ritz, no cholesterol and little saturated fat–more than enough to convince a busy shopper to lob that box into their cart and feel good about it. But let’s take a closer look at those claims—and the ingredients and Nutrition Facts—shall we?

nutrition facts label

No Cholesterol and Low in Saturated Fat– These claims typically appeal to those looking out for their cardiovascular health (and bravo to you for doing so!). Where it gets misleading is that dietary cholesterol has turned out to have much less effect on our bodies than previously thought; it’s the types of fat we consume, and their respective impact on LDL and HDL cholesterol, that matter. Saturated fat raises harmful LDL cholesterol, but it also raises helpful HDL, so the net effect isn’t too terribly awful. Trans-fats—identified either by grams in the Nutrition Facts panel or by the term “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredients list—are by far the worst type of fat because they raise LDL and lower HDL. So let’s flip the box over and see what’s there. The nutritional panel lists trans-fats at 0 grams, but a product can contain up to .5 grams of trans fats and still list the amount at 0, so I like to double-check the ingredients lists for partially hydrogenated oils. And there, right in the middle of the list, is partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil. Uh oh. So much for heart-healthy.

Half the Fat – True, at 2 grams per serving these Ritzes are half the fat of normal Ritzes, which weigh in at 4 grams. But what does that really tell us? If we’re concerned about the fat itself, we already know that these are made with a less-than-ideal type. And if we’re equating fat grams with whether or not they’ll make us fat, we’re looking in the wrong place. Calories (or more specifically, an excess of calories) cause weight gain, not total fat grams, and these Reduced Fat Ritz have 70 calories per serving—not bad, until you consider that a serving is only 5 crackers. Up that to a more realistic 10 and you’re looking at 140 calories, roughly 7% of an average “calorie budget” of 2,000 a day.

So here you have a snack with virtually no value for your body that gobbles up close to a tenth of your calorie budget for the day and includes a downright dangerous type of fat.

This is a sensible solution? For whom . . . us or Nabisco?

So what to do? First off, stop and ask yourself what you want to achieve. Are you trying to manage your weight? Are you trying to protect your heart? Are you trying to find healthy foods to feed your kids? Whatever it is you want to accomplish, take a moment to learn which factors really make an impact. Once you’re in the supermarket perusing the aisles, ask yourself why you’re drawn to a box. If you already know what you want from a food, you can evaluate how well a package’s claims stack up to your needs by examining the ingredients, Nutrition Facts panel and serving size. Best yet, if there’s an option to go whole—like this Make-at-Home Socca—choose that over any package.

In any case, when you’re cruising the aisles, it’s best not to judge a box by its cover.

Get a New Grain: Oats

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With all the different types of oats out there, it can get confusing. Is one superior to the other? Is one healthier than another? Here’s the simple scoop: Oat groats are whole oat kernels that have had the hard outer hull removed. Steel cut oats are groats that have been cut into three or four pieces (they’re termed “pinheads” for their appearance, which you can see in the photo below). Rolled oats (sometimes termed “old-fashioned rolled oats) are groats that have been steamed and rolled flat. Quick-cooking rolled oats are steel-cut oats that have been steamed and flattened, as is instant oatmeal, only cut into smaller pieces. All of these forms of oats have the three beneficial whole grain parts intact; the texture is all that differs. But beware; instant oatmeal does often come with added sugar, fat and preservatives.

oats-postWhat They Look Like: Whole oat groats look a bit like plump, dull-sheened brown rice with a dimple running lengthwise. Steel-cut oats are dull, buff-colored, medium-sized grains (they look somewhat like bulgur) with jagged edges. Rolled oats are flat and powdery, and instant oatmeal is the consistency of coarse sand.

What They Taste Like: Oats have a lovely, very mild nuttiness to them. Because their flavor is so neutral, they’re a good whole grain to cut your teeth on—in whatever form you choose. Oat groats have a rice-like texture to them with a bit more toothsome chew. Steel-cut oats are dense and chewy with a delightful “pop” at the core. Rolled oats cook into a porridge-like consistency, with quick-cooking oats turning slightly runny and instant oatmeal pushing mushy.

How to Cook Them: For groats and steel cut, cook oats in a 1:3.5 ratio of oats to water. Heat a bit of butter in the pot and toast the oats before adding the liquid, then bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes for whole groats, 25 minutes for steel-cut oats. For rolled oats, use a 1:3 ratio and bring water to a boil, then add oats, reduce heat and simmer for 5-15 minutes for rolled oats and just 1-2 minutes or quick-cooking oats.

How to Use Them: Oats are, obviously, terrific breakfast food in whatever form you like. But also try leftover groats or steel-cut oats (before you flavor them) in place of rice in stir-fried rice or seasoned with savory additions and served like a risotto.

Additional Notes: Steel-cut oats in fancy cans can get expensive, but they’re downright cheap in bulk. They’re also incredibly healthy; starting in the 1960s, a significant number of studies identified a type of soluble fiber in oat bran, called beta glucan, as a major contributor in lowering total and LDL cholesterol. What’s more, that filling feeling from eating a bowl of oatmeal—which has actually been measured and quantified in the development of a Satiety Index–may help maintain a healthy weight.

(For more information on whole grains, see Gotta Get Your Grains. Also check out the other grains in our Get a New Grain series.)