Comparison of Different Fats

Nutrition Information for 1 Tablespoon of Various Fats[1]

	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated fat (g)	Mono- unsaturated fat (g)	Poly-unsaturated fat (g)	Trans fat (g)
Coconut oil	121	13.5	11.2	0.9	0.2	0
Butter	102	11.5	7.3	3.0	0.4	0.5
Palm oil	120	13.6	6.7	5.0	1.3
Chicken fat	115	12.8	3.8	5.8	2.7
Margarine	100	11.2	2.3	5.3	3.1	2.8
Peanut oil	119	13.5	2.3	6.2	4.3
Soybean oil	120	13.6	2.1	3.1	7.9	1.2
Vegetable oil	120	13.6	2.1	3.1	7.8	0.1
Olive oil	119	13.5	1.8	9.9	1.4
Avocado oil	124	14	1.6	9.9	1.9
Sunflower oil	120	13.6	1.3	6.2	5.5
Canola oil	124	14	1.0	8.9	3.9	0.1
Safflower oil	120	13.6	0.8	2.0	10

                Here we have it…the nutrition content of common fats. Fats and oils are all around 120 calories per tablespoon. You will notice that butter is lower. That is because butter is a water-in-oil emulsion, and the water content does not contribute calories.

The main nutritional difference between the other fats is the proportion of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats. Excessive intake of saturated fat and trans fat is associated with heart problems, while unsaturated fats are beneficial to our heart health.

One easy way to tell if a fat is high in saturated fat is if it is solid at room temperature. All fats that are solid at room temperature have higher content of saturated fat. The first five fats on the list are solid at room temperature, and their saturated fat content is the highest of the fats on the list.

One surprising fact is that there are two vegetable fats on this list that are high in saturated fat. Many times we think that if something is from a plant it is automatically better for us. Yet, based on the saturated fat content, there are other fats that are better for our heart health.

Another easy trap to fall into is the health aura that surrounds some plant foods. The fact that a food is a plant and has nutrients in it that are healthy for us is not a good enough reason to eat as much as we desire. A great example of this is the avocado. The avocado is a fruit that is high in many vitamins and minerals. Additionally, it is high in monounsaturated fats. Yet, because of that, it is definitely a high-fat food—75% of its calories are from fat. A whole avocado can have 220-370 calories! While definitely a healthy choice of a fat source, it is important to remember about portion sizes. As a reference point, a half cup of avocado cubes is about 120 calories. Next time you are making a salad, measure it out with a measuring cup…you may be in for a surprise!

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[1] USDA Food Composition Databases. United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed October 11, 2017. < https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list>

Is honey better?

Were you wondering if honey is better than sugar? “Well, it’s natural,” you might say, “so it must be better.”

Let’s take a look and compare.

	Honey	Table Sugar	Brown Sugar
Calories per teaspoon	22	16	17
Chemical makeup	mostly fructose and glucose	sucrose	sucrose
What it becomes in your body	glucose	glucose	glucose
What else is in it?	very small amounts of vitamins and minerals	nothing	Molasses, very small amounts of minerals

If you are aiming for the lowest calories, white sugar is the one. The amount of vitamins and minerals in honey and brown sugar are so small, that they frankly add an insignificant amount to what you eat in a day. If your goal is to eat more vitamins and minerals, have a fruit or vegetable as a snack, as honey and brown sugar are not good sources of those.

If you are wondering what to add to your tea or coffee, I would suggest choosing whichever one you like best, and limiting it to 1 teaspoon. Although they differ slightly in calories, in the scheme of things, a 6 calorie difference is not going to alter much.

Good nutrition is not going to come from choosing honey or table sugar or brown sugar. Good nutrition involves an attitude you have when making food choices the entire day. 

Back to the basics of good nutrition

I have noticed that “healthy” is a very value-laden word. In a world where non-GMO, organic, natural, clean, green, paleo, free-range, local, farm to table, unprocessed, preservative-free, vegan, vegetarian…I can go on and on…have become synonyms with “healthy,” we have missed the basics of good nutrition. Somehow, these taglines have become associated with an allegedly superior way of approaching food choices. Are some of them good for us? Definitely some of them are! But let’s take a step back and take a look at the basics of good nutrition.

Research again and again supports the idea that people who eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low fat dairy live longer with fewer chronic diseases than those who eat less of those foods. That pretty much summarizes the basics of good nutrition.

My readers touched on many of these points. Eating a variety of foods…that means choosing different fruits, vegetables, and whole grains throughout the week. Choosing foods full of nutrients…full of vitamins and minerals—again, that would be our fruits, vegetables and whole grains!

So there are the basics, and then there is the extra credit of good nutrition. The basics would be the guidelines listed above. The recommendations supported by tons and tons of research. The extra credit, perhaps, would be some of those taglines. (Only some of them.) With food, as it is with schoolwork, the extra credit doesn’t go very far if the basics are not in place.

I’d like to make a suggestion. When you are at the supermarket choosing your groceries, take a moment to think if the contents of your cart fit in the basics category. Does all, or even most of the food in your cart meet the basics guidelines? When I am at the supermarket and my cart has my favorite organic cookies, vegan candy, and non-GMO potato chips, I’ve got to rethink what healthy means.

In the comments section below, let me know which of the taglines you thing might actually be good nutrition, and you reasons why. 

Thoughts of a new blogger

Confession: I am new to blogging. 

Why do I think that my ideas are worthy of being broadcast over the internet? A better question might be: Why do I think the big world out there will think my ideas are worthy of being read? 

I am a dietitian who loves food and loves when others love the food they are eating. I am a proponent of eating food that tastes good and only eating food if it tastes good. Of course, as a dietitian, I am also a big fan of eating in ways that keep us healthy.

Food does not need to be expensive or complicated. Many simple and low-cost foods are also super good for us. There is a lot of media attention on superfoods--expensive or exotic fruits, vegetables, or grains that will apparently prevent or heal all sorts of diseases due to their high content of a particular vitamin, mineral, or some other bioactive compound. But in truth, every edible thing that grows from the ground has these components! Why do only some foods get all the attention! My poor apple and oatmeal and kidney bean are feeling left out!

What is it about these everyday foods that makes them healthy? What does "healthy" mean anyway? 

I will attempt to answer these questions as I go forward. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what "healthy" means. Please post that in comments section. I might include your answer in a future post!

I welcome all comments and questions about past posts or other nutrition-related topics.