Dietary Fats and the Diabetic Menu – Part One
Oct 4th, 2010 by sandalwood
First, about fats in general
Fat is an essential nutrient that is needed by all human beings to maintain a state of good health. Most people are aware that fats that are categorized as good fats and bad fats — and those should be kept to a minimum where possible in the diabetic diet. The type of fat we eat is just as important as the amount of fats we eat, unfortunately that fact seems to have been ignored by a large segment of the population.
In recent years, there has been much emphasis on the need to consume less fat in order to reduce obesity. However, even though that has actually happened in America, it has not worked, there is more obesity in the land than ever.
The U.S. government agency, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (also known as the CDC), provide in their publications the following information:
- Percent of adults age 20 years and over who are obese: 34% (2007-2008)
- Percent of adults age 20 years and over who are overweight (and not obese): 34% (2007-2008)
That means that two thirds of Americans are overweight. So it seems that we have eaten less fat but have become fatter. That underscores the earlier remark that it is the type of fat not the quantity of fat that is important,
But fat is needed in the diet
The human body requires fat for many purposes, from building cell membranes to enhancing activities in the brain, the heart, the eyes, the lungs, in fact, fats play an important role in every area of the body. But some fats are better than others.
Fats are classified as saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated – plus there is a type of fat called trans fat that does not exist in nature. Trans fat been created specially in a manufacturing process to aid in food preservation, making it less likely to spoil quickly. That type of fat should be avoided.
Healthy fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
Unhealthy fats: saturated and trans fats
Mayo Clinic’s advice on fats
A good description and advice regarding fats types, daily consumption limits, and tips for choosing and using the best types of fat can be found at this Mayo Clinic internet link: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262
Fats and the diabetic menu
Most people with diabetes realize the need to control their weight and to avoid the consumption of too many high fat foods that can add weight in the form of fat. So that means being able to distinguish the good fat food items from the bad fat food items.
In reality, each type of fat is a mixture, to varying degrees, of the several types of fat mentioned above. For instance, butter is a mixture of about 60 percent saturated fat, 25 to 30 percent monounsaturated fat and 5 percent of each of polyunsaturated and trans fats. With such a high saturated fat content, butter is a food item that should not be on the diabetic food list.
There is not total agreement among medical professionals on the amount of fat that a diabetic diet should provide. There are advocates for both a low fat content approach and others who believe otherwise. People with high cholesterol problems may be directed to follow a lower fat regimen.
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture recommends that total fats consumed should be less than 30% of total calories, with saturated fats being less than 10% and monounsaturated fats less than 15% of total calories.
For example, in the case of a person whose diabetic diet allows for 2000 calories per day:
1. 30% amount of fat in a 2000 calorie daily diet would be 600 calories of fat.
2. There are 9 calories of energy in gram of fat, whatever type of fat, calorie-wise they are all the same.
3. 600 fat calories at 9 calories per gram is 66.7 grams of fat.
Using such simple arithmetic calculations and consulting the Nutrition Facts labels that are on most packaged foods, allows the consumer to have a rough idea whether or not they are within the recommended 30% fat limit. Such calculations are not needed to be done very often, if at all, but sometimes the details are of interest.
For instance: my 1800 calorie daily diet at 30% means no more than 540 calories of fat — and 540 divided by 9 equals 60 — so 60 grams is my recommended maximum daily allowance of fat. This is just to give the general idea how to work it out if a person really was curious enough to want to know, maybe most people would not. But for a further example, in the case of the soft margarine that I like to use on my whole-wheat toast, the nutrition facts label indicates that 2 teaspoons of soft non-hydrogenated margarine provides 10 grams of fat.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Before leaving the topic of fats, there are some fats, called omega-3’s, that are often recommended because they are thought to be have beneficial effects on health conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, blood pressure, and other disease conditions including diabetes.
Omega 3 fatty acids are discussed in the next post that can be found here: Dietary Fats – Part Two.
First, about fats in general
Fat is an essential nutrient that is needed by all human beings to maintain a state of good health. Most people are aware that fats that are categorized as good fats and bad fats — and those should be kept to a minimum where possible in the diabetic diet. The type of fat we eat is just as important as the amount of fats we eat, unfortunately that fact seems to have been ignored by a large segment of the population.
In recent years, there has been much emphasis on the need to consume less fat in order to reduce obesity. However, even though that has actually happened in America, it has not worked, there is more obesity in the land than ever.
The U.S. government agency, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (also known as the CDC), provide in their publications the following information:
- Percent of adults age 20 years and over who are obese: 34% (2007-2008)
- Percent of adults age 20 years and over who are overweight (and not obese): 34% (2007-2008)
That means that two thirds of Americans are overweight. So it seems that we have eaten less fat but have become fatter. That underscores the earlier remark that it is the type of fat not the quantity of fat that is important,
But fat is needed in the diet
The human body requires fat for many purposes, from building cell membranes to enhancing activities in the brain, the heart, the eyes, the lungs, in fact, fats play an important role in every area of the body. But some fats are better than others.
Fats are classified as saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated – plus there is a type of fat called trans fat that does not exist in nature. Trans fat been created specially in a manufacturing process to aid in food preservation, making it less likely to spoil quickly. That type of fat should be avoided.
Healthy fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
Unhealthy fats: saturated and trans fats
Mayo Clinic’s advice on fats
A good description and advice regarding fats types, daily consumption limits, and tips for choosing and using the best types of fat can be found at this Mayo Clinic internet link: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262
Fats and the diabetic menu
Most people with diabetes realize the need to control their weight and to avoid the consumption of too many high fat foods that can add weight in the form of fat. So that means being able to distinguish the good fat food items from the bad fat food items.
In reality, each type of fat is a mixture, to varying degrees, of the several types of fat mentioned above. For instance, butter is a mixture of about 60 percent saturated fat, 25 to 30 percent monounsaturated fat and 5 percent of each of polyunsaturated and trans fats. With such a high saturated fat content, butter is a food item that should not be on the diabetic food list.
There is not total agreement among medical professionals on the amount of fat that a diabetic diet should provide. There are advocates for both a low fat content approach and others who believe otherwise. People with high cholesterol problems may be directed to follow a lower fat regimen.
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture recommends that total fats consumed should be less than 30% of total calories, with saturated fats being less than 10% and monounsaturated fats less than 15% of total calories.
For example, in the case of a person whose diabetic diet allows for 2000 calories per day:
1. 30% amount of fat in a 2000 calorie daily diet would be 600 calories of fat.
2. There are 9 calories of energy in gram of fat, whatever type of fat, calorie-wise they are all the same.
3. 600 fat calories at 9 calories per gram is 66.7 grams of fat.
Using such simple arithmetic calculations and consulting the Nutrition Facts labels that are on most packaged foods, allows the consumer to have a rough idea whether or not they are within the recommended 30% fat limit. Such calculations are not needed to be done very often, if at all, but sometimes the details are of interest.
For instance: my 1800 calorie daily diet at 30% means no more than 540 calories of fat — and 540 divided by 9 equals 60 — so 60 grams is my recommended maximum daily allowance of fat. This is just to give the general idea how to work it out if a person really was curious enough to want to know, maybe most people would not. But for a further example, in the case of the soft margarine that I like to use on my whole-wheat toast, the nutrition facts label indicates that 2 teaspoons of soft non-hydrogenated margarine provides 10 grams of fat.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Before leaving the topic of fats, there are some fats, called omega-3’s, that are often recommended because they are thought to be have beneficial effects on health conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, blood pressure, and other disease conditions including diabetes.
Omega 3 fatty acids are discussed in the next post that can be found here: [LINK] XXXXX
Related posts:
