Confused by the Butter And Bacon Debate?

Last spring, yet one more study came out talking about saturated fat. And while the study tried to put “butter and bacon” back in the "positive" list, the problem is that the study failed to look at some important points.

The study was a review of literature related to saturated fat and its impact on heart disease but the review not only missed some important studies it misinterpreted one study. The review also looked at studies that are done by observation rather than set-up to measure a specific outcome, randomized control trials (RCT's). Observational studies provide insight but often are not about – did one thing cause another - whereas RCT's design a study with a hypothesis in mind and then they wait to see how the trial ends. The misinterpreted study actually showed a very strong positive benefit to choosing Omega-3 fatty acids instead of saturated fatty acids rather than the neutral benefit the study reported.

So what does all this confusion mean when it comes to choosing heart healthier fats?

The bottom-line has not changed – Saturated fats should be limited, Unsaturated fats should be your fat of choice and Trans fats should be avoided as much as possible. Here are simple tips about how to choose your fats:

Saturated fats

Animal fats in meat, poultry and dairy products along with palm, palm kernel and coconut oils

Unsaturated fats

Plant fats used to make oils and some spreads along with avocadoes, peanut butter and many nuts and seeds. Oil choices include – canola, olive, safflower and sunflower. Fatty fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel and herring contain Omega-3 which is an unsaturated fat.

Trans fats

Trans fats exist naturally in animal foods but the main dietary source of Trans fats is from industrialized fats that have a hydrogen added to them making liquid fats more solid. Look for “partially hydrogenated” on a label to tell if Trans fats are present. – REMEMBER – the higher up an ingredient is on the list of ingredients the more there is in the product.

Learn more about Fats by visiting the American Heart Association at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats-101_UCM_304494_Article.jsp

Connie Diekman, M.Ed., RD, CSSD

Nutrition Communications Consultant