fat

Not all fats are bad for you; in fact, incorporating healthy fats into your diet can actually be good for you! The general rule of thumb is that good fats are liquid at room temperature and bad fats are solid at room temperature. Therefore, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats fall into the good fats category, while saturated and trans fats fall into the bad fats category. Unlike saturated fats, monounsaturated fats help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, while boosting your HDL (good) cholesterol. Dietary fat is also good for us because it is one of three macronutrients that supports a number of our body's functions and provides us with energy.

Now for the fun stuff — the foods with all the healthy fats:

• Avocados: Avocados contain monounsaturated fats (and antioxidants and beta carotene too!), which is said to help enhance memory and prevent heart disease. The recommended daily intake (RDI) of fat is 65 grams and one cup of avocado contains almost one third of your fat intake for a day, about 23 grams. So it's probably best to stick with eating just a half an avocado each day.

Keep reading for more healthy fatty foods!

People who sleep less, eat more — about 300 calories more per day. A Columbia University study looked at the eating habits of sleep-deprived individuals and found that not only do they eat more, but they also choose unhealthy foods.

Thirteen men and 13 women were kept in a controlled environment for six days at a time on two separate occasions. During one visit they were allowed nine hours of bedtime, on the next, four hours. For the first four days of each visit, the group was kept on the same diet; researchers then allowed participants to eat anything they wanted to on day five. On the fifth day, participants ate an average of 300 more calories when sleepy compared to the previous visit when they were well rested. Interestingly, the added calories did not come from eating more simply because they were up for an extra five hours. Most of the participants stuck to their normal eating times, but chose foods high in saturated fats during these meals.

While the study is small, in both size and scope, researchers feel that it may provide evidence for a link between sleep and obesity. Previous research has shown that lack of sleep is linked to weight gain because the body functions poorly when sleep-deprived and ends up storing more fat. Just another reason to make sure that you're getting enough sleep.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

We used to assume that fat was fat. Now, most of us know that while some fats are terribly bad for us, others are actually quite healthy!

That's great news, but here's our question: If most of our fat is coming from healthy fats (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids), how much is too much? Is it possible to overdo it?

According to registered dietician Willow Jarosh, a contributing editor at SELF and co-founder of C&J Nutrition, most women need about 30 percent of their total daily calories to come from fat — no matter what type of fat it may be. For a woman eating 1,800 calories a day, that's around 540 calories from fat or 60 grams of fat each day.

Keep reading portioning info.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Someone recently reported to us that their doctor told them they shouldn't be able to pinch more than an inch of fat anywhere on their body.

We've heard that old saying — "pinch an inch!" — but if that's true, boy, are we in trouble!

To find out if this is a legit way to judge body composition and what our other options are, we called on exercise physiologist Fabio Comana, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

The verdict: Good news, ladies . . . pinching an inch is NOT an accurate marker of your body composition. Deep exhale! Phew.

To learn why keep on reading!

Hi Fit,
I am training for a half marathon and I'm up to three miles a run. However, I've never been a runner before and suddenly I've been getting incredibly hungry. So far I've gone down a size since I started training! I've been wondering if I should increase my food intake, but I'm not sure by how much and which type of foods (protein, carbs, etc). Any suggestions?
— Running on Empty

Fueling your body well is an essential part of training for any endurance event. When it comes to running, carbs are king. Carbohydrates turn most readily into the glycogen, aka muscle fuel. But just eating pasta won't cut it, a well-balanced diet it key. To learn why just read more

My hubby is having an affair, with bacon. He's in love with those crispy, salty strips, so much that he probably eats it every day; with his eggs, on his sandwich, on his dinner salad, heck, he even likes it for dessert. The love affair doesn't end there. He's also having serious relationships with beef, mayo, cheese, and ice cream. Being the health nut and caring wife I am, it's a constant battle with us, as I try to get him to cut back. "It's protein," he argues. "It's saturated fat," I plead.

Saturated fats are "the bad fats." They're often solid at room temperature, like butter, and are in no way essential to your health. Most saturated fats come from animals and are found in meat, eggs, and dairy products. Some are found in vegetable oils such as palm, palm kernel, and coconut oils. The reason they're so unhealthy is because they're hard to digest and full of cholesterol, which clogs your arteries. Clogged arteries increase your risk for high cholesterol, which puts you at risk for heart problems.

The American Heart Association recommends that you limit your saturated fat intake to "less than 7 percent of your total calories." That means, if you're consuming about 2,000 calories a day, eat less than 16 grams of saturated fat.

Since I know a vegetarian diet is out of the question for my meat-loving man, I made up a little chart so he knows how much saturated fat is in the foods he craves. That way, he can still enjoy them without overdoing it. To see the chart read more

After years of being maligned, fat is making a comeback. It's the macronutrient necessary for absorbing fat-soluble nutrients like carotenoids, the antioxidant the body converts to vitamin A. This family of antioxidants gives fruits and veggies their orange and red hues, so the produce containing these antioxidants is easy to spot.

Take tomatoes, for instance. They're known for being high in the antioxidants lycopene and beta carotene, two types of carotenoids. But since lycopene and beta carotene are fat soluble, tomatoes need to be paired with a bit of fat to absorb these important nutrients. Spritzing a little olive oil over your tomatoes adds flavor and will help you reap the benefits of this fruit disguised as a veggie. Or go all out and make a Caprese salad.

Despite the best efforts of everyone from Jamie Oliver to the first lady to yours truly, Americans continue to get more obese. Last year, obesity rates rose in more than half of US states, according to a new study by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For the sixth year in a row, Mississippi earned the repeat title of fattest state.

Eight states now have obesity rates of over 30 percent, versus just four states last year. What's particularly sad about the survey is that most respondents recognized the growing threat of obesity and especially childhood obesity but didn't think their children were at risk. The facts suggest otherwise:

The new survey finds that 84 percent of parents believe their children are at a healthy weight, even though nearly a third of children and teens are considered obese or overweight.

But there is some good news for future generations. Find out what it is.

Even the healthiest among us can't eat healthy all the time. Sometimes, you just gotta indulge in a bacon and egg breakfast or an after-dinner ice cream cone. The scary thing, though, is that heart-unhealthy foods start to have an unhealthy effect on your blood vessels as soon as you've finished eating. But recent research has found it may be possible to start reversing the damage right away, too. Here are three surprising strategies for dealing with high-fat meals.

• Drink orange juice. Researchers at the University of Buffalo say flavonoid-rich drinks such as OJ could help reverse the damage to your heart and blood vessels caused by high-fat foods.
• Eat earlier in the day. If you're going to indulge in one high-fat meal, make it breakfast or brunch. According to new research from the University of Alabama, eating a high-fat breakfast may help fight metabolic syndrome, such as high cholesterol and diabetes. Based on a study of mice, scientists found that those who ate a morning meal high in fat maintained normal metabolisms, versus those that ate a later high-fat meal.
• Take a walk. Taking a 45-minute walk after a big meal also works against the impairment of blood vessels caused by high-fat foods. Just make sure it's a brisk walk within two hours of eating.

Blonde and beautiful Jessica Simpson is no stranger to scrutiny about her weight. Remember last year when that unflattering photo of her circulated through the media? Jessica was ridiculed for gaining some weight, and she discussed the episode on yesterday's Ellen DeGeneres Show, saying:

"For some reason, yep, everybody was just harping on me gaining some extra pounds. And then I felt insecure because I felt like I was making other people, you know, if they weren't a size four or size six feel big, ya know. I didn't like where I was being put in the public world."

This negative attention prompted Jessica to travel the world and "see what women do to feel beautiful, to look beautiful, [and] what their expectation of beauty is." Her discoveries were documented in her reality TV show The Price of Beauty. She was pleasantly shocked to learn in Uganda women gain 90 plus pounds before their weddings in order to be considered a real woman, and the fatter you are the more beautiful. In this culture, the cow is considered a prized possession, making being called a "fat cow" the highest compliment a gal can receive. A little different from things here in the states, no? Watch Jessica explain this ritual to Ellen when you read more