Will milk fat kill me? Are all saturated fats bad?
“when milk goes bad”
Question: Hi Leigh!
First off I loved your article on protein shakes, great info! My question is about saturated fats.
I find I don’t tolerate carbs well (bread, potatoes, etc.), anyhow I have been sticking to lean proteins, etc. When choosing cheeses and milk is it better to go higher fat? Or should i choose skim to keep fat down?? A bit confused?? I know fat doesn’t necessary cause you to get fat,but is it bad for my arteries??
-Tracey
Answer:
Tracey I’m going to answer your question in two parts. First I’ll tackle the question of “Are Saturated Fats Unhealthy”?
Not all Saturated Fats are created equal. Take your mentioning of dairy/cheese for instance. Most dairy and cheese saturated fats contain Stearic Acid. Stearic acids have been found to reduce blood clotting and could actually aid in preventing those arteries being blocked.
In general, if you’re going to stray from a fat or any other food stray from “Franken-fats” like trans fats. These are fats usually found in overly processed foods like those 1,000 calorie size-of-your-hand Cinnabuns.
In short just say “yes” to fat in milk (and an egg for that matter). Don’t be afraid of it.
That being said the second part is…
If you are trying to lose fat altogether you need to focus as much as you can on good carbs, protein, and a higher variety of fats. By all means you can get skim milks and light cheeses if it helps balance out your calories easier.
While you don’t have to be afraid of the fat, it still is double the calorie energy of protein and carbs, so if you need to cut some small corners that’s fine. Just makes sure you don’t cut too much because fats are key to the production of certain hormones.
Missy
Or maybe the caption should be “when milk goes bad”….
Sadly, I am guilty of the fat phobe phenomenon - but I am trying to get out of it. I eat tons of cottage cheese, but it is non-fat. Is it better to eat the lowfat or regular? Also, hormones are mentioned, but how does that work with someone like me who takes a triphasil BCP?
August 1st, 2008 at 8:37 pmMissy
OK oooopss my bad, I did not see the underneath one! It just looked like the Far Side cartoon of the potato salad holding up the mustard and ketchup that says “when potato salad goes bad”. I did not notice that it said that the first time!! I must work on being more observant!!!!!
August 1st, 2008 at 9:01 pmLeigh Peele
Missy-You should be getting a balance of fats overall and some of those fats should be saturated. What sources you choose is kind of up to taste without getting overly technical and complicated as to each fats structure and neg/positives.
Also good job on the title
August 1st, 2008 at 9:26 pmLeigh Peele
Kris-In general I should for a 20% of daily diet from fat or if looking for gram amount I personally like .4xlb.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:28 pmMissy
Thanks Leigh, right now I am “testing the waters” on adding more fats. I will now at least eat one Eggland egg with my whites and will use lowfat cottage cheese. My totals if I use the .4 g per lb would be around 58-59 depending on my weight (I don’t weigh often and it fluctuates from 145-149). I had read that dairy fats were good for you and isn’t that where CLA comes from that people buy to use for fat burning?
August 1st, 2008 at 10:21 pmOh well, I am at least improving but have miles to go…..
Thanks for the info - as usual, a virtual treasure trove of informative facts!!!
Sheila
Leigh,
This is a great post. I just wrote an article/blog on this very same topic. I think fats are so under-rated and we need to realize how essential they are to a healthy diet. I also agree that people sometimes get confused when on a fat loss plan, not realizing that fats are our friend, but you just have to keep that in line with your overall daily calorie intake, so as to not overshoot your range when in a deficit.
Sheila
August 4th, 2008 at 8:40 pmhttp://www.livewell360.com
jenniquiz
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November 10th, 2008 at 12:17 pm