Friday, February 27, 2009

Cholesterol in eggs?

















Hello everyone!
During a lunch in school, my co-teacher notice that one of our friend who is pregnant is fun with eating boiled eggs….she was advised not to eat too much egg because it contain cholesterol! So I made a research on the internet if this is true…..and I want to share with everyone this information that I had read!

CHOLESTEROL
Studies have now been published that turn historical medical recommendations to avoid eggs upside down. Although a single egg yolk contains 200 milligrams of cholesterol, recent studies show that eating eggs doesn't necessarily cause cholesterol in the bloodstream to skyrocket. According to the publishers of The New England Journal of Medicine, "these findings have led doctors to give the okay for most healthy Americans to eat up to four eggs a week."
Now in a study published in the April 21 Journal of the American Medical Association, Harvard Medical School researchers categorized the egg-eating habits of almost 38,000 male health professionals and 80,000 female nurses; and found low consumption at one egg per week and high at one or more eggs per day. Researchers also tracked the associated occurrence of heart attacks, stroke, and other types of cardiovascular disease in the male group for eight years and in the female group for fourteen years. They found no connection between egg consumption and heart disease. Even after adjusting for factors such as age, weight, high-fat food intake, smoking, high blood pressure, and family history of heart problems no statistical correlation was identifiable between egg eating and heart disease.
Eggs are no longer implicated in problems with LDL (bad cholesterol) and in fact help the body to balance good and bad cholesterol. This balance is important because cholesterol forms part of all our organs, including the heart and brain. All sex hormones are manufactured by the body from cholesterol. Adequate cholesterol is absolutely necessary for maintaining mental and sexual function during aging.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Fats













Fats are important for a healthy diet and it is important to choose them wisely while allowing yourself small indulgences. Fats supply energy and essential fatty acids and serve as a carrier for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and carotenoids. Fats serve as building blocks of membranes and play a key regulatory role in numerous biological functions.

Healthier fats include unsaturated fats from vegetable sources such as olive oil, nuts and seeds. Although these fats are healthier, it is important to practice portion control as fats are higher in calories than protein and carbohydrates (1 gram of fat has 9 calories while 1 gram of protein or of carbohydrates has 4 calories). High intake of saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol increases the risk of unhealthy blood lipid levels, which, in turn, may increase the risk of coronary heart disease


The government recommends limiting saturated and trans fats. Many solid fats are high in saturated fats, such as butter, fat from meats (like beef, chicken and pork), shortening (from non-vegetable sources), coconut oil, and palm oil. Trans fats occur naturally in these same fats, and are also in partially hydrogenated margarines and many fried foods. Read food labels for margarine and baked foods to see if they are low or free from trans fats.

If you are trying to lower fat in your diet, look for foods labeled 'Fat Free' or 'Low in Fat'. Fat Free foods have less than half a gram of fat per serving and Low Fat foods have less than 3 grams of fat per serving.

Why Do We Need Fat?

Dietary fat helps a kid's body grow and develop like it should. Fats fuel the body and help absorb some vitamins. They also are the building blocks of hormones and they insulate nervous system tissue in the body.

So fat is not the enemy, but you'll want to choose the right amount — and the right kind — of fat. If you're getting most of your fat from lean meats, fish, and heart-healthy oils, you've already made fat your friend!

Some Recommendations:

  • Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
  • Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.

Here's a sample menu to help you reach that goal. It includes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, milk, and an apple. The peanut butter is high in fat, but it's a nutritious food and the overall total from the whole meal is about 30% from fat.

  • Two slices of bread = 13% fat (30 of 230 calories from fat)
  • Two tablespoons of peanut butter = 75% fat (140 of 190 calories from fat)
  • One tablespoon of jelly = 0% fat (0 of 50 calories from fat)
  • One cup of 1% milk = 18 % (20 of 110 calories from fat)
  • Apple = 0% (0 of 80 calories from fat)

Total = 29% fat (190 of 660 calories from fat)

  • When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.
  • Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.


Thursday, February 12, 2009

Carbo

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates, along with fats and protein, are one of the three main classes of food. Carbohydrates are organic compounds consisting mainly of sugars, starches and fiber. Carbohydrates contain carbon, oxygen and hydrogen.
Carbohydrate monomers are called monosaccharides e.g. glucose and fructose.


Plants make carbohydrates during photosynthesis and store them as any of the saccharides (sugars). They are used primarily for energy in the body. If carbohydrate isn't used in short order, it is stored. A certain amount can be stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, and the rest is stored as fat. Carbohydrate polymers e.g. starch, glycogen and cellulose are formed from many monomers joined by glycosidic bonds. Unlike protein and essential fats, our bodies can get along without dietary carbohydrate if needed

Except for the carbohydrates like fiber that aren't broken down into glucose before they get to the colon, all carbs end up as sugar. Starches, or complex carbohydrates, are just longer strings of sugar.

Grain foods are an easy way to ensure you meet your carbohydrate needs. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines and Food Guide Pyramid recommend adults have at least six servings of grains a day. One serving of grains can be:1 slice of bread1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal ½ cup of cooked rice or pastaAt least half of your total daily grains should come from whole grains.

Misconception: Starches (complex carbohydrates) are broken down slowly in our bodies.

Not true. The vast majority of the carbs in the grocery store are rapidly digested. This is because the food manufacturers have kindly begun the process for us, by grinding grains into flour, refining grains and sugar, puffing rice and making it into rice cakes, etc. Whole wheat flour is almost as glycemic is white flour (though it is much more nutritious).