Doxa

I Corinthians 3: 16-17 (ESV):

¹⁶ Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? ¹⁷If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

In this column, we have been discussing healthy nutrition and how we should care for our bodies, since the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Last week, we talked about how we should avoid eating processed foods.  This week, we will discuss our fat intake.  When we hear the word “fat”, we immediately think of “bad for us” In fact, not all fat is detrimental to our health, and there are “good fats” as well as “bad fats”. Even though good fat has various health benefits, those of us trying to lose weight should watch the quantities that we consume because any kind of fat is high in calories and can compromise our effort to lose weight. However, including some healthy fat in your diet will help your food taste better, which will encourage you to stick to your weight loss plan, help you absorb certain nutrients from vegetables, and can improve your overall health.

Good fats: Not All Fat Is Bad.

The following food sources of fat are healthy for our bodies:

• Olive Oil: This nutrient-filled oil lowers bad cholesterol and blood pressure, and is good for your heart. Canola and sunflower oil are also good for you.
• Avocados:  This fruit is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that keep eyes healthy; it contains nutrients like folate, vitamins C and E, which prevent cancer, and monounsaturated fatty acids, which lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL or bad) cholesterol and can also help you lose belly fat, a risk factor for heart disease and some fertility problems. Avocado also contains high levels of potassium, protein, and vitamins B6, E, and K, and fiber.  Limit yourself to eating one-quarter to one-half an avocado a day because it is high in calories.
• Oily fish: Oily fish, like wild Alaskan salmon, tuna and mackerel, contains omega 3 fatty acids which are good for your heart, helps maintain a healthy pregnancy, reduces inflammation, improves your brain health, ameliorates your mood and protects against depression. It may also protect against cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.  Fish like salmon also contains lean protein and Vitamin D, which boosts immunity and memory. The American Heart Association recommends that we eat at least two servings of fatty fish a week. Canned wild Alaskan salmon is almost as good as fresh. However, you should avoid eating fish that is high in mercury, especially if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.  Tuna steaks, king mackerel and swordfish are among those with the highest amounts of mercury.  Wild salmon is one of the safest choices.  For more information on safe fish, go to ewg.org/safefishlist.
• Nuts: Almonds contain bone-building calcium and stress-relieving magnesium, which may also help relieve bloating and breast tenderness; walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and may reduce cholesterol, help brain function, aid better sleep, alleviate stress, fight cancer and prevent heart disease; pistachios contain heart healthy potassium.
• Low fat /fat-free milk and yogurt: They both contain calcium and protein. Greek yogurt is especially rich in calcium and good for our bones and the fat-free version has twice as much protein as regular yogurt. Fat-free Greek yogurt is also high in probiotics, cultures that help ease irritable bowel syndrome, and may boost immunity.  You should have at least three servings of dairy a day, and Greek yogurt is a good choice.

Bad fats: Be Vigilant, Avoid These!

The following fats clog your arteries, increase your blood cholesterol (adding to the LDL cholesterol produced naturally by your body), lower your good cholesterol, and can lead to heart disease and stroke:

• Saturated fat, present in animal products like poultry, red meat, animal fats, butter, cream, cheeses, and other dairy products made from whole and 2% milk,. Foods from plants that contain saturated fat include coconut, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter.
• Dietary cholesterol contained in foods from animals (see examples under saturated fat above.)
• Trans fatty acids which are found naturally in various animal products and may be worse than saturated fat.
• Other trans fatty acids which are caused by the hydrogenation process. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fat, found in baked goods with long shelf life, margarine, shortening, and most processed food, are fats that are solid or semi-solid at room temperature, created when hydrogen is added to unsaturated fat like corn oil. These kinds of trans fats are even more harmful than those that occur naturally.

Here are some practical tips to help you avoid and/or replace bad fat with good fat:

• Use olive or canola oil to cook, and cut down on the quantity of oil used.
• Select butter over most margarines. Butter, even with its saturated fat content, is healthier than most margarines as they typically contain trans fatty acids, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fat. However, some soft margarines or spreads (Smart Balance is an example) pass the “bad fat” test and should be used in lieu of butter (read the label carefully before purchase).
• Avoid frying meat, poultry, fish, plantain, potatoes, and yam.  Try grilling or baking instead, using an olive or canola oil cooking spray.
• Remove skin and trim fat from poultry and red meat before cooking; skim fat from stock or use a fat separator to remove fat before using the stock to cook.
• Choose fish and lean poultry; cut down on red meat. Sirloin, tenderloin and grass-fed beef are, however, relatively low in fat.
• When buying ground meat, lean ground beef contains much less fat than regular ground turkey or chicken, which includes fat and skin. “Extra-lean” turkey is your safest bet, but if you can’t find it, buy at least 92% lean ground beef.
• Buy processed foods made with non-hydrogenated oil rather than partially hydrogenated, hydrogenated or saturated fat.
• Avoid French fries and other commercially fried foods, and baked goods like doughnuts, cookies, cakes, crackers, muffins and pies which are typically high in trans fat.

It is crucial that we follow the above health tips, and ensure that our spouses and children do so, too. I hope you will join me again next week to as we continue examining ways that we can improve the bodies that God has blessed us with.