by Elizabeth Magee, RD, LRD
Much to my dismay, the Keto and Atkins diet are still around and let me tell you, it’s driving me absolutely nuts.
First of all, the keto diet was designed to help people with epilepsy, a serious health condition. Second, removing an ENTIRE food group is a RED FLAG. Not allowing fruit, or even a few berries, is a red flag. Third, eating that much fat is hard on your heart.
The fat recommendation for an adult is 20-35% of daily calories. Let’s look at an 1800 calorie diet. This would include 45-60 grams of fat every day. I bet that’s more than a lot of you were expecting. We know we need fat in our diet. We just need to focus on getting the right kind of fat. The American Heart Association prefers 5-6% of our daily calories from saturated fat. That’s why we need to focus on getting fats from the right places.
Saturated fats are allowed, we just need to be mindful. You may not realize this, but certain oils, such as coconut and palm oil, have a great deal of saturated fat. Fried foods also contain more saturated fat, as do fattier cuts of meat. We can’t build a diet off fried foods even if we really love them!
When you’re cooking, if you can use a liquid over a solid fat, that’s a more heart healthy choice. So, choosing olive oil or canola oil (a N.D. product) continues to be a “go.” Subbing out butter or cutting back can be an option as well. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes butter is the only answer, and that’s okay!
When choosing meats, choose leaner cuts; sirloin, for example, or 93% lean ground meat. Also, the simple effort of taking the skin off your poultry and cutting visible fat off your meat is helpful for your ticker.
I’d rather focus on what we can eat, instead of what we should pump the brakes on. No breaking news here, but you can never eat too many fruits and veggies. Keep choosing these again and again. Low fat dairy is an excellent option! Milk, yogurt, not putting a half a block of cheese on your nachos are all a green light. And as far as grains go, WHOLE GRAINS every single time you can. That fiber is good for many things but especially your heart!!
Low carb all fat diets are generally not healthy for most of us. So, continue to practice moderation! It’s much more fun than cutting things out!
Elizabeth Magee is a licensed registered dietitian. Her posts appear monthly on OYT.
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