Great Reads For Eating Healthier & Living More Sustainably
With so many books available now suggesting what you should eat to live longer, look younger, be smarter, sleep better, or get slimmer, it can be a daunting task selecting the one that gives you the information you’re looking for.
My favorite book on eating a healthy diet is one that is also an incredibly easy read, straightforward, balanced and full of common sense. It’s Michael Pollan’s ‘Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual’. It’s described as ‘a definitive compendium of food wisdom’ and that’s exactly what it is. It provides a short, user-friendly guide to making good food choices, written in a friendly, witty manner. It’s a great book to help you take the first step on the path to eating a healthier diet.
As a next step, if you’re interested in understanding not only how to improve your health, but also how to reduce your carbon footprint and cut down on food costs, I recommend Mark Bittman’s book ‘Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating’. The first half of this book gives you some wonderful insights and facts about the food industry and the foods we eat, while the other half is devoted to recipes and helping you to cook ‘like food matters’. It’s written in a clear and easy to digest (excuse the pun) manner.
A book that I found fascinating and unnerving is one written by Robyn O’Brien with Rachel Kranz, called ‘The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making Us Sick – and What We Can Do About It’. The book discusses the rise in autism, ADHD, asthma and allergies in the last two decades and discusses the recent changes in our food supply that may be contributing to the onset of these disorders. It’s a compelling read and provides much food for thought.
Happy reading!
Source: freshnation.com
Good Fats & Bad Fats: Know Your Food
Hannah Pullman - Community Manager
A few people have recently asked me about fats and what are the different types of fats. So, I am going to write this post about the different fats, which ones are good for you and which ones to avoid.
First, fatty acids are the main component of fat. There are three types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. These fatty acids are defined by their saturation – the amount of hydrogen attached to the carbon atoms on the fatty acid.
Saturated fatty acids, commonly known as “bad fats,” have carbon chains completely packed with hydrogen. These fats are linked to increases in heart disease and some cancers and are mainly found in animal products. Most plant foods contain very little saturated fats (except for coconut and palm oils).
Then there are monounsaturated fats, commonly known as “good fats.” These fatty acids are missing one hydrogen atom on their carbon chain and are generally liquid at room temperature. They have been shown to protect against diseases, like heart disease, and are neutral or beneficial in relation to cholesterol levels. High levels of these fatty acids are found in olives, olive oils, avocados, and nuts.
Trans fatty acids, a fat damaging to one’s health, are a type of unsaturated fatty acid that has had their hydrogen atoms rearranged during food processing. This processing allows the fats to withstand higher temperatures, ideal for high temperature cooking and deep-frying. These fats are much more damaging than saturated fats, raise blood cholesterol levels, and are linked to heart disease. The main sources of these fats are processed and fried foods.
The third type of fat is polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids have more than one hydrogen atom missing from their carbon chain and are involved in the functioning of the brain and nervous systems and the regulation of organs. They are mainly found in vegetable oils, seeds, nuts, grains, legumes and other plants. Two important polyunsaturated fatty acids are linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3). For optimum health you should have a good balance of both, however western diets tend to favor linoleic acid. If you are vegetarian or vegan, common sources of linoleic acids are seeds, walnuts, butternuts, corn, and soybeans. Good sources for alpha-linolenic acid are dark leafy greens, broccoli, seaweeds, flax, nuts and soybeans. If you are not vegetarian you can consume long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids directly from meat and dairy products (sources of omega-6) and by eating fish or microalgae (sources of omega-3).
So the question remains, “what fats and how much of them should we eat?” Most health experts recommend 15-30% of your daily calories come from fats. However, the type of fats consumed is very important. Studies have shown that a diet lower in fats, especially lower in saturated fats, trans fatty acids, cholesterol and animal protein, decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes. So, try to avoid saturated and trans fatty acids – avoid eating processed and deep fried foods, decrease meat and dairy consumption, and eat more nuts and fresh vegetables.
A good source for what foods to eat and avoid in terms of fats and their effects on health, go to the American Heart Association.
Source: freshnation.com
