unsaturated-related stories
Keep your middle little with olive oil
Bagels can go right to your middle -- literally -- say the RealAge experts. But olive oil, now this item might just keep your middle little.
Seems the healthy fats from olive oil keeps bellies flat, which is a mighty good thing. You know why? Because excessive amounts of abdominal fat increases your risk for high blood sugar and other health problems. Now olive oil alone won't do the trick -- you've got to eat an overall healthy diet and exercise too. But getting a good amount of your calories from unsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil, can surely help prevent tummy troubles over time. They will also help you maintain better insulin sensitivity.
The Mediterranean diet is one you might want to adopt. About 30 to 40% of calories in this diet come from unsaturated fats. A diet you'll want to avoid: The high-carb diet. It tends to cause body fat to relocate to the belly.
You Are What You Eat: Don't forget the fats
Each week, we'll be naming a Super Food and offering unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!
From an early age, we're told that fat is bad for us. We count it, avoid it, cut it from our recipes and diets. We stay away from things that are deep-fried or covered in cream, just in an effort to lower our fat consumption. We're drawn to flashy labels that say 'low fat!' and 'fat free!' And why? We're told it's the enemy, causing a myriad of problems like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
But if you've been reading That's Fit for a while, you know it's not the enemy at all. In fact, it's an essential part of your diet.
From an early age, we're told that fat is bad for us. We count it, avoid it, cut it from our recipes and diets. We stay away from things that are deep-fried or covered in cream, just in an effort to lower our fat consumption. We're drawn to flashy labels that say 'low fat!' and 'fat free!' And why? We're told it's the enemy, causing a myriad of problems like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
But if you've been reading That's Fit for a while, you know it's not the enemy at all. In fact, it's an essential part of your diet.
What's in a cashew?
If I had to pick a nut to eat, it would be the cashew. My husband too. He sometimes buys the big container when shopping in bulk and together, we manage to polish the whole thing off. Not in one sitting, mind you, but we probably do eat too many, too quickly. And then we swear off these nuts for a while because we're never quite sure how healthy they are, in the whole scheme of nuts.According to The World's Healthiest Foods, cashews are good, in moderation. Here's why.
- Cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts.
- About 75 percent of their fat is unsaturated fatty acid, and 75 percent of this fat is oleic acid, the same heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat found in olive oil.
- Consuming a handful of cashews four times per week can lower the risk of heart disease.
- Consuming a handful of cashews at least twice a week helps lower risk of weight gain.
- Cashews contain copper, good for iron utilization, elimination of free radicals, development of bone and connective tissue, and the production of the skin and hair pigment called melanin.
- Cashews contain magnesium, good for the bones, muscles, and nerves.
- Cashews help prevent gallstones.
