Testimonial: The Good and Bad of Fat

...I have to point out that, like people, not all fats are created equal, meaning there are 'good' and 'bad' fats. First, there are Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), which are needed for overall health. These polyunsaturated EFAs our bodies cannot make and must be obtained from food sources, like my favorite source, flax seed oil. Flax oil not only helps stop fat storage but it also increases fat burning and our metabolic rate, increases insulin sensitivity, and is anti-catabolic.. yes, it actually helps stop muscle breakdown.

The second group of 'good' fat is monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, canola oil, peanuts or all-natural peanut butter, which I love, and avocados. The nasty or 'bad' fats are saturated fats, like animal meat fats, dairy fats and hydrogenated oils (found in many tasty bakery products).

I like to keep my fat intake around 15-30% of total daily calories, with one-third coming from the EFAs (I use flax seed oil from Omega Nutrition), one-third from monounsaturated fats (that's my all-natural peanut butter), and no more than one-third coming from saturated fats. They're very hard to avoid as there are trace amounts present in chicken breast, oatmeal and any treat I may have.

Source: John Basedow, Long Island Voice, June 1997