Cut One Teaspoon of Fat a Day and Save 13,000 Calories a Year
"The abundance of information on what and how much we should eat is overwhelming, often confusing, and sometimes difficult to understand," says Laura Pasut, a Registered Dietitian, and author of the new A Matter of Fat: An easy-to-use guide to fat and healthy eating.
In a world of quick fixes, diet crazes and conflicting messaging, the simple message of balanced diet is often lost. "It may sound like old-hat advice, but making small changes to the foods we choose can make a big difference to our overall health," says Pasut. "Understanding practical ways to make those changes is the first step."
A Matter of Fat: An easy-to-use guide to fat and healthy eating uses teaspoons of fat to quickly show the fat saved by reducing higher fat foods, or substituting lower fat choices. A croissant, juice and coffee with cream, has almost four teaspoons of fat. You can cut out one teaspoon of fat and add protein by simply choosing two slices of toast, one tablespoon of peanut butter, juice, and coffee with 2% milk. For an on-the-go lunch, you can cut two and half teaspoons of fat by choosing a regular single hamburger instead of six chicken nuggets. Small changes each day can make a difference.
"Lowering the amount of fat we eat is still important because fat has more Calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein," explains Pasut. "Cutting one teaspoon of fat a day for one year saves you about 13,000 Calories."
Pasut encourages Canadians to keep food choices in perspective. "Fat is an essential nutrient, adds taste to food and helps you absorb some vitamins," she says. "It is your average fat intake over time that can affect your health, not the amount of fat in individual foods."
The National Academies of Science recommends that Canadians and Americans strive for a fat intake of between 20 to 35% of total Calories. So, someone who eats 2000 Calories a day could have 44 to 78 grams of fat or 11 to 19 ½ teaspoons.
A healthy diet is not just about eating low-fat. It is also important to choose foods that provide your body with essential nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fibre. For example, a 100 gram serving of trimmed sirloin steak has only one and one-half teaspoons of fat, is an excellent source of protein and provides 12 other essential nutrients for good health.
This new resource is the third edition in the A Matter of Fat series. Developed with input from health professionals from across Canada, the series has been the Beef Information Centre's most popular resource. Since 1995, millions of copies have been distributed to consumers, dietitians, doctors and other educators. The new 2003 edition compares a greater variety of foods and better explains how fat fits into a healthy eating plan. It also explains the types of fat, how to read a Nutrition Facts table, and the various sources of fats in the diet. Interestingly, the major source of fat (31%) comes from foods in the "the Other Foods category" like shortening, lard, oil-based salad dressings and mayonnaise, and high fat snack foods such as potato chips and chocolate bars.
