I was in our local Walmart shopping today with my wife, trying to discover something healthy to eat. And, looking through the filter of having two heart attacks and knowing the consequences of what I put in my mouth and swallow, all I could see were excesses of salts, sugars and fats in prepared foods. Like hot dogs - the lowest amount of salt I could find in a single hot dog was 450 mg. That is about ¼ teaspoon of salt per hot dog. Wow! Same way with a slice of lunch meat or bologna. And of course it goes way up from there - polish sausages - 1,200 mg and higher!
So, how much should you consume? According to The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults. That is about ¾ tsp. of salt.
Sugars
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:
In contrast, the US dietary guidelines advise people to limit their intake to less than 10% of their daily calorie intake. For a person eating 2,000 calories per day, this would equal 50 grams of sugar, or about 12.5 teaspoons .
If you are healthy, lean and active, these seem like reasonable amounts. You’ll probably burn off these small amounts of sugar without them causing you any harm.
But it’s important to note that there is no need for added sugars in the diet. The less you eat, the healthier you will be.
SUMMARY: The American Heart Association advises men to get no more than 150 calories from added sugar per day and women no more than 100 calories.
Fats:
Why is fat important?
A macronutrient is something we need in relatively large amounts to be healthy. Macronutrients include water, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Fat is associated with being harmful, but the truth is humans need fat as:
Dietary fats explained
Fats are important part of your diet but some types are healthier than others. Choosing healthy fats from vegetable sources more often than less healthy types from animal products can help lower your risk for heart attack, stroke, and other major health problems.
What are Fats?
Fats are a type of nutrient that you get from your diet. It is essential to eat some fats, though it is also harmful to eat too many.
The fats you eat give your body energy that it needs to work properly. During exercise, your body uses calories from carbohydrates you have eaten. But after 20 minutes, exercise then depends on calories from fat to keep you going.
You also need fat to keep your skin and hair healthy. Fat also helps you absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, the so-called fat-soluble vitamins. Fat also fills your fat cells and insulates your body to help keep you warm.
The fats your body gets from your food give your body essential fatty acids called linoleic and linolenic acid. They are called "essential" because your body cannot make them itself, or work without them. Your body needs them for brain development, controlling inflammation, and blood clotting.
Fat has 9 calories per gram, more than 2 times the number of calories in carbohydrates and protein, which each have 4 calories per gram.
All fats are made up of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Fats are called saturated or unsaturated depending on how much of each type of fatty acid they contain.
Types of fat
Saturated fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol level. High LDL cholesterol puts you at risk for heart attack, stroke, and other major health problems. You should avoid or limit foods that are high in saturated fats.
Trans fats are also used for cooking in some restaurants. They can raise LDL cholesterol levels in your blood. They can also lower your HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
Trans fats are under review for their health effects. Experts are working to limit the amount of trans fats used in packaged foods and restaurants.
You should avoid foods made with hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (such as hard butter and margarine). They contain high levels of trans-fatty acids.
It is important to read nutrition labels on foods. This will help you know what kinds of fats, and how much, your food contains.
Talk with your health care provider about how to cut down on the amount of fat you eat. Your provider can refer you to a dietitian who can help you learn more about foods and help you plan a healthy diet. Make sure you have your cholesterol levels checked according to a schedule your provider gives you.
Alternative Names
Cholesterol - dietary fats; Hyperlipidemia - dietary fats; CAD - dietary fats; Coronary artery disease - dietary fats; Heart disease - dietary fats; Prevention - dietary fats; Cardiovascular disease - dietary fats; Peripheral artery disease - dietary fats; Stroke - dietary fats; Atherosclerosis - dietary fats
So, how much should you consume? According to The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults. That is about ¾ tsp. of salt.
Sugars
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:
- Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons)
- Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons)
In contrast, the US dietary guidelines advise people to limit their intake to less than 10% of their daily calorie intake. For a person eating 2,000 calories per day, this would equal 50 grams of sugar, or about 12.5 teaspoons .
If you are healthy, lean and active, these seem like reasonable amounts. You’ll probably burn off these small amounts of sugar without them causing you any harm.
But it’s important to note that there is no need for added sugars in the diet. The less you eat, the healthier you will be.
SUMMARY: The American Heart Association advises men to get no more than 150 calories from added sugar per day and women no more than 100 calories.
Fats:
Why is fat important?
A macronutrient is something we need in relatively large amounts to be healthy. Macronutrients include water, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Fat is associated with being harmful, but the truth is humans need fat as:
- A source of energy
- A source of essential fatty acids that our bodies cannot make
- A component of cell walls
- A way to absorb fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K
- A way to insulate our bodies and protect organs
Dietary fats explained
Fats are important part of your diet but some types are healthier than others. Choosing healthy fats from vegetable sources more often than less healthy types from animal products can help lower your risk for heart attack, stroke, and other major health problems.
What are Fats?
Fats are a type of nutrient that you get from your diet. It is essential to eat some fats, though it is also harmful to eat too many.
The fats you eat give your body energy that it needs to work properly. During exercise, your body uses calories from carbohydrates you have eaten. But after 20 minutes, exercise then depends on calories from fat to keep you going.
You also need fat to keep your skin and hair healthy. Fat also helps you absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, the so-called fat-soluble vitamins. Fat also fills your fat cells and insulates your body to help keep you warm.
The fats your body gets from your food give your body essential fatty acids called linoleic and linolenic acid. They are called "essential" because your body cannot make them itself, or work without them. Your body needs them for brain development, controlling inflammation, and blood clotting.
Fat has 9 calories per gram, more than 2 times the number of calories in carbohydrates and protein, which each have 4 calories per gram.
All fats are made up of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Fats are called saturated or unsaturated depending on how much of each type of fatty acid they contain.
Types of fat
Saturated fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol level. High LDL cholesterol puts you at risk for heart attack, stroke, and other major health problems. You should avoid or limit foods that are high in saturated fats.
- Keep saturated fats to less than 6% of your total daily calories.
- Foods with a lot of saturated fats are animal products, such as butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, cream, and fatty meats.
- Some vegetable oils, such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel oil, also contain saturated fats. These fats are solid at room temperature.
- A diet high in saturated fat increases cholesterol buildup in your arteries (blood vessels). Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance that can cause clogged, or blocked, arteries.
- Mono-unsaturated fats, which include olive and canola oil
- Polyunsaturated fats, which include safflower, sunflower, corn, and soy oil
Trans fats are also used for cooking in some restaurants. They can raise LDL cholesterol levels in your blood. They can also lower your HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
Trans fats are under review for their health effects. Experts are working to limit the amount of trans fats used in packaged foods and restaurants.
You should avoid foods made with hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (such as hard butter and margarine). They contain high levels of trans-fatty acids.
It is important to read nutrition labels on foods. This will help you know what kinds of fats, and how much, your food contains.
Talk with your health care provider about how to cut down on the amount of fat you eat. Your provider can refer you to a dietitian who can help you learn more about foods and help you plan a healthy diet. Make sure you have your cholesterol levels checked according to a schedule your provider gives you.
Alternative Names
Cholesterol - dietary fats; Hyperlipidemia - dietary fats; CAD - dietary fats; Coronary artery disease - dietary fats; Heart disease - dietary fats; Prevention - dietary fats; Cardiovascular disease - dietary fats; Peripheral artery disease - dietary fats; Stroke - dietary fats; Atherosclerosis - dietary fats
