Good vs Bad: A Healthy Guide to Fat

For years, both doctors and nutritionists were continually preaching that low-fat diets were the way to not only lose weight, but to save the generations from things like heart disease and high cholesterol. Fat in the 1980’s and 1990’s was the enemy. Fat free sour cream, fat free crackers and cookies, fat free ice cream…everything became fat free.

Now we are learning through the studies and research of men like Dr. David Perlmutter, MD, author of the new book, Brain Maker, that all fats are not created equal. “One of the myths I’m always trying to dispel is that fat is unhealthy. Most people think those high-fat foods are the reason their pants are fitting a little tighter.” He says in his article Exposing the Secret of Healthy Fats. He goes on to share that it’s less about the quantity of fat and more about the type.

Wait…isn’t fat…fat?

Nope! In sharing this with my clients, I immediately get some strange looks and questions… “You want me to eat more fat? Are you sure?” and I answer with a resounding “YES!” This is one of the main reasons that our American Society is overweight and by allot! According to the Center for Disease Control, one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of US adults are obese compared to 1970, before the fat free craze began, when only 11.7% of adults were overweight. That’s a big jump and it all started with the overly processed, fat-free fever.

Most foods contain several different kinds of fats, and some are better for your health than others. So how do you weed through years of information and get down to the source of health? Don’t worry…I’ve done it for you! Here’s a look at the different types of fat, their effects and the healthy fat choices you should be making.

Harmful Dietary Fats

Trans Fat: This type of fat rarely occurs in natural foods and if so, in very small amounts. Most trans fats are made from oils through processed foods through a method called “partial hydrogenation”. By partially hydrogenating oils, they become easier to cook with and less likely to spoil in your pantry. Studies show that an increase in trans fat increases unhealthy LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL (good cholesterol). This unhealthy concoction can drastically increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, overall cholesterol levels and your risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

What to Look Out for: Processed Foods sold at room temperature usually contain the most saturated and trans fats due to the lack of spoilage. But be aware, these unhealthy fats are stored all over the grocery store. Try to avoid or limit things like potato chips, French fries (frozen section), snack cakes or pies (sorry Little Debbie), shortening, crackers, cake mixes and frostings, pancake and waffle mixes, chicken nuggets (frozen section), certain flavors of Haagen-Dazs ice cream, non-dairy creamers, microwave popcorn, high fat yielding meats, cookies, jerky or meat sticks, canned chili and packaged pudding. These tend to have the highest levels of trans fats.

Instead Opt for foods that are as unprocessed as possible.
Homemade baked goods using coconut oil instead of canola oil or shortening.
Air popped popcorn with a little grass-fed butter and sea salt.
Baked Veggie Chips or one of my favorite Black Bean Chips, Beanitos.
Homemade Ice Creams or Puddings.
Grass-Fed Butter in moderation instead of margarine.
Goat cheese instead of cheddar.
Part Skim Mozzarella instead of processed nacho cheese.
There are alternatives to almost everything! Check out our Recipe section for more ideas!

Saturated Fat: This type of fat comes mainly from animal sources such as red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products. Now before you run to the fridge and freezer and start chucking your steaks and butter, let’s take a closer look. Saturated fats, when paired with a high carbohydrate diet, raises total blood cholesterol levels and LDL, which are your low-density lipoprotein levels. This can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. The Saturated fat & high carb combo may also increase your risk of Type 2 Diabetes by increasing the fat storage in the liver and around the intestine, impairing insulin action. Now, that being said, there is a balance needed to a meat-eating diet. When looking at our healthy plate, here is the breakdown. A Healthy plate should contain one-fourth protein, another half vegetables and the remaining one-fourth grains is an important ratio when trying to control your health risks for diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as your waste line.

Choose cuts of meat that provide a great amount of protein, flavor and have low levels of saturated fat and eat them in the right proportions. These are lean cut meats like chicken breasts, beef round roasts, sirloin steaks, salmon or halibut, turkey breast and pork tenderloin. Remember before cooking to remove any unnecessary animal fat. We all know fat means flavor, so add a couple teaspoons of a healthy fat like olive oil to meat before sautéing or grilling! Replace the bad with good!

Healthier Dietary Fats

These types of fats are mostly unsaturated and are a critical need for our bodies. As Dr. Perlmutter says, “The body needs a balance of two types of essential fats: anti-inflammatory omega-3’s and pro-inflammatory omega-6’s. This balance needs to be closer to a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio to ward of diseases like diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. But due to our American diets of a 20:1 ratio….we are simply unbalanced.

Monounsaturated Fat: We’ll call these MUFA’s. They improve blood cholesterol levels decreasing your risk for heart disease while benefiting insulin levels and blood sugar control!

Polyunsaturated Fat: Found mostly in plant-based foods and oils, we’ll call PUFA’s, also improves cholesterol and blood sugar levels!

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These fatty acids are in direct relation to the health of your heart, so not only are they lowering cholesterol, but they are decreasing your risk of coronary artery disease. Say goodbye to early heart attacks with Omega-3’s! These fats also protect against irregular heartbeats and lower blood pressure. The best foods to increase your Omega-3 intake are fish! I’m not much of a fish lover, so I can understand the disappointment when I tell my clients to cut back on the bacon and add fish to their diet, but I have found some really yummy ways to help you enjoy fish a couple times a week. Check them out here!

Healthier Fats can be found in olive oil, safflower oil, salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. Also flaxseeds, flax oil, coconut oil, avocados, nuts and other seeds like sunflowers and walnuts are super healthy for your heart!

Healthy Fat Recipes
Smoked Salmon Spread on Gluten Free Crackers
No Mayo Deviled Eggs
Goat Cheese Arugula Pizza
Dairy Free Pumpkin Latte
Homemade Almond Milk
Skinny Breakfast Tacos
Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts
Veggie Beef Lasagna
Salmon Parmesan Fish Sticks
Mexican Salmon Burgers
Gluten Free Black Bean Burgers

Roasted Tomatillo Avocado Salsa Verde

In a Busy World, The Virtue of Doing Nothing

The daily grind of modern life can be exhausting: working full time, going to appointments, running errands, squeezing in grocery shopping, preparing a nourishing dinner, finding time for the gym… the demands can seem endless. When’s the last time you spent an afternoon doing absolutely nothing?

According to a new book from Dr. Matthew Sleeth, taking time to rest and relax may be one of the best things you can do for your health. In 24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life, Dr. Sleeth emphasizes that for almost 2,000 years, Western culture stopped for 24 hours once a week, every week. “Even when I was a child, you couldn’t buy gasoline, you couldn’t buy milk. The drugstores weren’t open. And so society just had a day where they put it in park. That was Sunday until the last 30 years or so,” he says.

Now, in a culture that celebrates being busy, people are on-the-go nonstop – and it’s taking a toll on our health and happiness. Constant stress is causing a growing epidemic of depression and anxiety, Dr. Sleeth says, and stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are linked to obesity and diabetes.

What’s the solution? Blocking out regular time in your busy schedule to rest and recharge. Though Dr. Sleeth recommends an entire day, taking it easy for just a few hours once a week can make an enormous difference in your life. Even if your Monday is busy and stressful, it can be reassuring to know that you have a relaxing and stress-free Saturday to look forward to. For someone who has a sedentary desk job, that may mean unplugging from your computer and going for hike; for someone who spends a lot of time on their feet, that might mean curling up with a cup of tea and a good book.

Whatever you choose, prioritizing unstructured downtime is a crucial form of primary food that will help you relax, appreciate what’s good in your life, and return to your daily tasks with renewed energy and enthusiasm. As Dr. Sleeth emphasizes, “I have many people that I’ve talked to now that have said that keeping one day of rest a week has been the single best thing they’ve done for their marriage, their family, and their spiritual relationship.”

What is your favorite way to relax and recharge?

Teas & Supplements for Women's Health

To raise awareness about the preventive measures a woman can take to protect herself from chronic disease, last week we highlighted 5 foods that support female reproductive health.

While we absorb tons of necessary nutrients from whole foods and well-balanced daily meals, there are a few vitamins and minerals that can be difficult to obtain only from the foods that we eat.Here are some teas and supplements that are known to be beneficial for women’s health. Just make sure to take the right amounts because too much of a good thing can be a bad thing!

Reproductive HealthTry Raspberry Leaf Tea, known as the “women’s tonic” for reproductive health. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the nutrients in the leaves help tone uterine muscles and relieve PMS symptoms, and many women believe that it aids delivery late in pregnancy and can enrich breast milk.

Bone HealthCalcium is crucial for bone health, particularly for women as they age. Women are at much higher risk than men for osteoporosis and broken bones later in life. When taking it as a supplement, it is important to combine with magnesium and vitamin D for proper absorption.

Heart HealthDrink black tea! This super antioxidant beverage is proven to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood pressure for women. Not only will your heart be happy, but the tea leaves can double as a beauty product when applied topically, preventing premature aging and puffy eyes. To get the most out of your black tea, make sure to leave in hot water for at least 5 minutes to release its antioxidant properties.

FertilityNew research shows that Omega-3 fatty acids help regulate the menstrual cycle and boost fertility, among many other great health benefits (such as protecting your heart from air pollution!) If you’re not getting enough in you diet, the best way to get the nutrients is from fish oil or vegan Omega-3 capsules.

ImmunityElderberry is most commonly used to fight colds and flu, but it also helps to fight inflammation and strengthen the immune system. Elderberry is most commonly taken as a tea, syrup, or lozenge short-term so that you can get that boost you need – and go on with your busy day!

MoodKnown as the “Sunshine Vitamin,” vitamin D is produced in our bodies when absorbing sunlight or eating certain foods such as fish, eggs, or fortified foods. Women who are deficient in this vitamin tend to feel symptoms of weight gain, moodiness, and depression. Wintertime is an especially hard time to get enough vitamin D. Before taking the supplement, check with your doctor to find out if you are below the optimal level.

Not all supplements fair the same. If you’re looking for a supplement right for you, ConsumerLab.com is a great resource to find out which brands are best.

Which supplements do you take for optimal health? 

4 Essential Ways to Stop Adrenal Fatigue

You can barely drag yourself out of bed each morning, yet you have trouble going to sleep at night. Maybe you need coffee in the morning and crave sweets around 3pm for a pick me up. And you feel like you are on a treadmill, running from school to work to errands to home, never getting a break.

Sound familiar? You may be burning out your adrenals.

Adrenal fatigue is a collection of symptoms that arise when the adrenals are unable to produce enough of these stress-coping hormones. You might be suffering from adrenal fatigue if you have trouble waking up in the morning, rely on caffeine and sugar to keep you going, and generally feel unwell.

Why are adrenals important?

The adrenals help regulate stress, whether physical, emotional, or psychological. Adrenals release hormones that regulate energy production and storage, immune function and inflammatory response, heart rate, muscle tone, and other processes that enable you to cope with stress.

When your adrenals burn out, you’re more susceptible to headaches, overall weakness, colds, allergies, and respiratory infections, weight gain, lower sex drive, reduced concentration, and difficulties in relationships at work or at home. Adrenal fatigue has also been linked to autoimmune disorders, diabetes, post traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism and drug abuse.

How can you heal your adrenal functioning? Here are 4 essential ways to stop adrenal fatigue:

5 Ways to Enjoy Your Work

Beyond being an unofficial end of summer celebration, Labor Day is also the time when we reflect upon the contributions we’ve made to the world via our professional endeavors.

So how are you feeling about your work? Are you fulfilled and enthusiastic about being back at the office tomorrow, or considering a change to something more enjoyable? Either way, we’ve got some great tips to help you thrive in the workplace. Don’t let another year go by without taking the next step in creating the career of your dreams!

Here are 5 ways to enjoy your work:

1. Appreciate. Having gratitude for the elements of your job that you like can help create an abundant mindset, which increases your productivity and satisfaction. Consciously appreciating the good parts can also help naturally attract more positivity into your life.

2. Create goals. If there’s anything in your career that you’d like to change or improve, set a clear goal and take action to materialize it. Your circumstances are more likely to shift if you become proactive in creating what you want.

3. Communicate. Whether it’s speaking up to ask for a promotion, practicing the art of listening, or developing your unique creative style, communication is vital to success. Consider an area of your work that could use finer articulation, and make a point to strengthen this skill.

4. Personalize your environment. Since you spend a great deal of time in your workspace, it’s important to make it comfortable. Having a plant, a photo of a loved one, or an assortment of your favorite teas can go a long way in reducing stress and making you feel more at home.

5. Grow. It is beneficial to see every experience as an opportunity to learn and expand your knowledge. How can this apply to you? Does it involve taking a weekend course to learn a new skill, making a change in your approach to certain projects, or reaching out for support? Even if this means leaving a career you invested a lot of time in and starting something newinstead, be continually open to the possibility to further growth.

How do you celebrate your work?