20 Practical Health Tips to Kickstart Your Journey towards a Healthy Lifestyle in 2023 tux news update

Your risk of heart disease and stroke 

(Food sources of saturated fat)

There is no disputing their deliciousness. However, you are undoubtedly already aware of the need to limit your consumption of foods high in saturated fat.

By definition, a saturated fat is a fat that is solid at room temperature. Animal-based foods, as well as tropical oils like coconut and palm oil, commonly include saturated fats. And the American Heart Association advises you to proceed cautiously when eating meals that are heavy in saturated fat. Your risk of heart disease and stroke can be increased by a diet heavy in saturated fat by increasing your LDL cholesterol, sometimes known as "bad" cholesterol.

According to Amy Reed, MS, RD, CSP, LD, a paediatric dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, "If your diet is higher in fat in general, it will be higher in calories because fat is a more calorie-dense nutrient."

The Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa's registered dietitian and nutrition educator Kara Burnstine, MS, RD, LDN, CDCES, claims that the gut experiences significant disruption when saturated fat overload prevents it from being cleaned up by fibre.

Food sources of saturated fat

Look over the following list of foods that are frequently high in saturated fat. If you regularly consume a lot of these items, you might be consuming more saturated fat than you know and should consider reducing your intake

Butter

Let's simply admit up front that butter, which is made from animal fat, is heavy in calories and saturated fat. However, avoid reaching for margarine in place of butter because it frequently contains trans fats, which are also unhealthy. As a general rule, you're better off using olive oil, which has a low saturated fat content but is high in monounsaturated fat, or possibly a spread that has a low saturated fat content but doesn't have any trans fats.

deli meat

Oh those preserved and prepared meats. They are so delectable, but because they frequently contain significant levels of saturated fat, most of us only consume them seldom or on special occasions. Foods like hot dogs and bacon, in addition to deli meats, also fit into this category.

Red flesh

Be sure to check labels and consider the fat level of red meat because it can potentially be rich in saturated fat. Alternatively, search for cuts with less fat. The USDA defines a lean cut of beef as a 3.5-ounce portion with less than 10 total grammes of fat and less than 4.5 grammes of saturated fat.saturated fat grammes. Less than 5 total grammes of fat and fewer than 2.5 grammes of saturated fat would be present in an extra-lean portion. Burnstine adds that if you're truly in the mood for a burger, you might want to choose leaner varieties like a bison burger.

Cocoa butter

Coconut oil undoubtedly enjoyed a brief renaissance in the recent past, thanks in large part to the popularity of diets like the ketogenic and paleo diets. But you should proceed with caution when using this product. Long recognised by health professionals as being heavy in saturated fat is coconut oil. According to the T. H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, it is entirely composed of fat, with 80–90% of that being saturated fat. Even if you don't buy coconut oil yourself, it may still be present in some of the meals you like because many premade items also include it.

A baked good

Additionally, prefabricated baked goods like muffins, cakes, and other baked goods are frequently quite rich in fat. They go through a procedure called hydrogenation to become shelf stable. Regrettably, this results in trans fats, which research indicates may raise risk for ailments including cardiovascular disease among others.

Deep-fried foods

Since foods like chicken, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini are nutritious, you probably wouldn't stop eating them. Right? Unfortunately, you will gain a lot of fat and extra calories if you severely bread them before deep-frying them. The main problem, in Burnstine's opinion, is the deep-frying procedure. She says, "It's the oil." "They use a lot of vegetable oil, which has around 4,000 calories per pound, and they use a lot of it."

Food crackers

Grabbing a bag of snack crackers is quite convenient, but if you do it frequently, you can end up paying for it later. The amount of saturated fat may be larger than you anticipate.

Icy dessert

Low-fat dairy products like milk and yoghurt are frequently suggested by nutritionists as a component of a balanced diet. In fact, the American Heart Association advises most adults to have two to three servings of low-fat dairy each day. But to determine the amount of fat in that carton of ice cream, look at the label. It might not or probably won't meet the criteria for "low fat." If you're worried, you may cut back on the amount you eat, consume it less frequently, or choose a reduced-fat variety.

Chips

Similar to snack crackers, potato chips typically have higher saturated fat content. Fortunately, there are several healthy alternatives available if you're a chip addict, such as baked chips, which still satisfy your want for flavour and crunch without putting your heart at risk.

Fried potatoes

You have more willpower than most people if you can resist the want to get some fresh, hot, salty fries to go with your burger. But since French fries can be heavy in saturated fat if they're fried in oil, your arteries will thank you.

Pizza 

Pizza need not include a lot of saturated fat, but it frequently does. Why? We stuff it full of cheese, which has a lot of saturated fat. And to make matters worse, we frequently include a large amount of cured meats, such as sausage and pepperoni. To make it a healthier option, cut back on the cheese or replace part of the full-fat cheese with low-fat cheese. Add plenty of vegetables for an added nutritional boost.

An Important Note

A full-fat product can always be substituted with a low- or fat-free variant. Think about cheese with yoghurt. But as Reed points out, fat is often what gives food its flavour. As a result, she explains, "if we consume something that doesn't fill us full, it doesn't leave us content." And a large part of the reason we feel full and satisfied after a meal is due to fat.

Additionally, if you don't feel full, you could be inclined to keep eating, which isn't necessarily beneficial for you.

You don't necessarily have to stop eating saturated fat. However, you must consider your total nutritional requirements. For instance, a dish of snack crackers won't provide you nearly as many advantages as a plate of roasted vegetables with a little melted butter on top.