Wellness Wednesday

When Fat is a Good Thing

Dietary fat has been vilified for over a decade, leading to the over-consumption of  carbohydrates and refined sugars; so maybe it's time we give fat a real chance in our dietary lives.

The US public has been privy to a long misinformation campaign about what we should be eating and what we shouldn't be eating for well over a decade. The huge lobbying presence of sugar companies and other food companies that have large amounts of sugar in them, which makes their products so addictive and satisfying, created the idea that fat was the enemy in our diets in order to draw away skepticism about sugars and carbohydrates. Dietary fats, however, play very important roles in our lives. Focusing on rich, healthy unsaturated fats and limiting foods high in saturated fats will improve the decreased risk of heart disease. Below are listed one of the recommended fats that should be focused on in our diets.

• Omega 3s:
•  Reduce inflammation, reducing the risk of chronic disease.
• The Omega 3's that have the most benefit are DHA's and EPA's which we obtain from fish.
• We also obtain ALA from Omega 3's, but from plant foods.  

Public Perception of Fats:

•  37% of people interviewed in a study said they were more worried about dietary fats today than they were five years ago.
• Only 8% of people interviewed knew ALA was an Omega 3.
• 39% of people interviewed said that they actively tried to avoid dietary fats and oils. 
• 30% of people said that they were trying to specifically avoid mono-saturated and poly-saturated fats; the fats we should be actively seeking.
• 37% of people interviewed said that they included Omega 3's in their diets.