So, unless you’ve been living under a rock the past year or two, I’m sure you’ve heard the news that saturated fat is back! The great fat debate was coming to an end! Bacon lovers rejoiced, cheese connoisseurs delighted and people started slathering butter on their toast once again. Ah…the rich taste we have been depriving ourselves of for the past 30 years!
Why such the change in trends? Most of this news started circulating after two medical reports were published (here and here), which were meta-analyses (in other words, reviews) of prior studies used to draw conclusions. They concluded that lowering saturated fat intake had not reduced our heart disease risk, after all. People still had high rates of heart disease even while following the low-fat trend. Still, both of these reports have been widely criticized by cardiologists and other healthcare professionals due to their omission of data as well as manipulation to achieve results.
So what is it? Should we be going hog wild (pun intended) with the saturated fats or not?
Well, another study has recently come out this month saying not so fast. The conclusions of this prospective cohort study find that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats does lower your risk for heart disease. The catch – what you replace those saturated fats with.
Back in the 70’s and 80’s when fat was shunned, many people did indeed lower their saturated fat intake. But the majority replaced them with refined carbohydrates. Refined carbs have been shown to be no healthier for you than saturated fats and may also increase your risk for heart disease. So basically, we didn’t change our risk for anything with all the low-fat chips, crackers, cookies and pretzels we were eating. Often, to maintain taste and flavor, when fat is taken out of a product it is replaced with some type of refined carb or sugar. This is no bueno!
The great fat debate: to pass the butter or not? Share on XFrom the conclusions I have drawn so far, it is still smart to keep your saturated fat intake down (the American Heart Association recommends keeping your saturated fat intake to less than 7% of your daily calories). This is not to say you can never have a hamburger or put butter on your roll again. But watching how much and how often you eat these foods is important. Then, after lowering your intake the key is to replace them with heart healthy foods.
So what are some heart healthy foods? Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and unsaturated fats, especially polyunsaturated fats such as vegetable based oils (such as olive, canola or avocado oil), nuts and seeds. Being wise about your substitutions can help reduce your risk for heart disease. Substituting animal fats with whole foods naturally low in added fats, sugars and salts, along with an active lifestyle, will likely keep your heart healthy for years to come!
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