Yes, we definitely need *some* fat in our diet. We couldn't survive very well without it. But I am very choosy about which fats I will and will not eat (most of the time, that is
). If I'm going to "spend" my calories on fat, I want them to be good ones. Obviously ones which I love the taste of and ones that are most beneficial to my health. Which is why I eat salmon at least 2X a week, avocado at least once, a sprinkling of chopped almonds or walnuts in my salad a few times, a smidge of olive oil many days of the week, etc.
As far as most fats being more filling then low fat proteins or fiber - that's just not the case for me. Nothing fills me more then veggies. Protein comes a close second.
Here's part of an article that explains a bit why we need *some* fat and that without a doubt not all fats are created equal.
http://www.hdac.org/features/article...icleNumber=385
Fats in the Diet
-- Maggie [ print-friendly ]
Most people are confused about the issue of fat in their diet and it is no wonder. It is a well established fact that our bodies need fat to function properly. It is an energy source and is a nutrient used in the production of cell membranes. It helps to regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood clotting and the nervous system. It carries fat-soluble vitamins, A,D,E and K into our bodies from the food we eat. Without adequate fat in our diets, our hair and skin would be unhealthy and vital organs would be unprotected.
The food pyramid and the American Heart Association suggest that up to 35% of the calories we eat should come from fat. A major report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies emphasized the importance of a balance of nutrients with 20% to 35% from fats. So, fats are good for us, right?
Well, not exactly. The food pyramid and the American Heart Association also advises us to limit the fats in our diet because it has been proven to clog arteries which causes heart disease and strokes and is a contributing factor in some cancers. It is a major cause of obesity. The calories in a unit of fat are twice the number of calories in the unit which are protein or carbohydrates.
If we go to a bookstore to try to unravel the paradoxical information that we have been given about fats, we will find an entire section dedicated to low fat diets and cookbooks and a section dedicated to high fat diets and cookbooks. The low fat diet supporters will tell us that to live a slim, healthy life, we must eliminate all or most of the fat that we eat. But at the same time, Atkins’ ''diet revolution,'' the high-protein, high-fat, extremely low carbohydrate diet has millions of devoted followers. What are we to believe?
We need to look at what a fat is. The first category of fat is the natural fat found in foods as they are produced by nature.
All fats are not created equal; some are essential for good health and others have a negative effect on our bodies. Naturally occurring fats are divided into three main types.
Saturated fats - (Bad fat) Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). Saturated fats are mainly found in animal products. Foods that contain a high proportion of saturated fat are butter and ghee, suet , tallow or lard, coconut or cottonseed oil, palm oil, dairy products (especially cream and cheese), meat and some prepared foods.
Polyunsaturated fats - (Good fat) Polyunsaturated fat can be found mostly in grain products, fish and seafood (herring, salmon, mackerel, halibut), soybeans, and fish oil. Omega 3 fatty acids, thought to be helpful in many areas including HD, belong to this group. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, fish and seafood, lower the total amount of fat in the blood, which can lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases. Omega-6 fatty acids in sunflower oil and safflower oil also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Monounsaturated fats - (Good fat) Monounsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). These fats are found in natural products like avocados, canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil or oil from other nuts, safflower oil, sesame oil, corn oil and sunflower oil. Olive oil is 75% monounsaturated fat and is one of the main components to the Mediterranean diet, which is thought to be one of the world’s healthiest diets, protecting against cardiovascular disease.
A second category of fat is a man made fat, trans fat, which may be either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated and is much in the news today as the worst possible fat that we can use. Yet, it is common at fast food outlets and in commercially prepared items such as cookies or packaged foods.
Trans fatty acids are under attack by savvy, health-aware consumers today. Before the facts about trans fats were known, saturated fats (like the fat in butter or cheese) were thought to be the worst type of fat. Saturated fat does raise the total cholesterol level, but trans fats also deplete good cholesterol (HDL) that actually protects us from heart disease. It is recommended that we only consume a trace amount of trans fat in our daily diet. Yet, it is in most commercially produced items at our grocery store.
Before the invention of trans fatty acids, we cooked food with lard, palm oil or butter or other saturated fat. But as we learned the health dangers of saturated fats, manufacturers started to use healthier vegetable oils in food productions. The liquid oils are not stable to heat and go rancid easily. They learned that adding hydrogen to the liquid oils enabled them to withstand the heat of food production and that they had a longer shelf life. As a result of hydrogenation, trans fatty acids were formed. Crisco first used the new man made fat commercially in 1911.
But more and more often now we are seeing labels which proclaim “Trans fat free” because of the demand of consumers. The Girl Scouts marked their 90th year in the cookie business by getting most of the artificial fat (which had been under attack) out of all varieties of their treats. And McDonald’s has agreed to go trans fat free, as well.
After closely scrutinizing data from scientific studies and reviews, many European countries have either banned hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils altogether or have instituted future dates for elimination of their use in foods. These government actions concerning the trans fatty acids is directly related to studies that link trans fatty acid consumption from processed foods to the development of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Calories vs Calories from fat
