Gristle and Fat

The Busy Girl's Guide To looking great by Caroline Jones - The title helps to conjure up suspicions of vapidity and the cartoon drawings make you feel like a third-grader...  but this book is actually helpful.  And, if I'm being honest, the bright colors are partly what drew me to the book in the first place.  What?  At least it was on sale!

The health section is particularly useful.  Paraphrased, here are some things you should know before you stuff your face:



 
Monosaturated fats - "A+" fats that both lower bad cholesteral and raise good cholesterol.  They can be found in olive oil and protect against heart disease and possibly bowel cancer.

 

Polyunsaturated fats - "B" fats that lower both bad and good cholesterol (obviously not ideal, but you're not perfect either *smile*).  This is the fat you get in sunflower, safflower, and corn products.

 Saturated fats - "D" fats that increase bad cholesterol that leads to heart problems and clogged arteries.  These can be found in red meat and fatty dairy products (go for low-fat milk and cheese).

 

Trans fats - "F" fats that would get a lower grade if there was one.  These are bad bad bad!  Trans fat is a man-made fat (go figure) and studies have suggested that it never leaves your system... ever.  I would have to do more research to validate this information but the bottom line is it does nothing good for you.  This villain also goes by the name of "hydrogenated oil" and can be found in cooking fats and other processed foods.

 

Essential fatty acids - "A+" Omega 3 does the opposite of saturated fats by protecting the heart and preventing blood clots.  They are found in oily fish (enjoy your tuna sushi rolls!).
                      - "A+" Omega 6 boosts the immune system and can be found in green leafy veggies and linseed oil (extracted from flax seeds and is, interestingly enough, also used as a preservative for wood as well as in soap and linoleum... but that's an entirely different blog, haha). 


Now... don't you feel so much smarter?  I do *smile*.