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Nutrient absorption and healthy fats -

There are 4 types of dietary fat — each one can have a different effect on our blood cholesterol levels. For this reason, it is recommended to replace food and drinks high in saturated and trans fats with alternatives that contain more polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats.

Each gram of fat contains twice the kilojoules energy of carbohydrate or protein. Because of this, if you have foods and drinks with too much dietary fat, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy weight. Fats can bring out flavour in foods, so consuming meals with small amounts of fat can make foods more enjoyable and can satisfy our hunger for longer.

Throughout the day you should consume a wide variety of foods including foods with small amounts of dietary fat, particularly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, to meet your daily requirements. Foods high in fat are usually high in kilojoules which means they are more likely to increase body fat.

Carrying too much body fat is a risk factor for many diseases, including cardiovascular disease , type 2 diabetes and many cancers. The 2 types of blood cholesterol are low density lipoprotein LDL cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein HDL cholesterol. Saturated fats are also found in some everyday, healthy foods such as dairy products and meats.

Unlike discretionary foods, these products have other important nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals, and can be important foods to include in your diet. It is recommended to select lower saturated fat options. For example, choose:. Polyunsaturated fats have a slightly greater ability to reduce LDL cholesterol than monounsaturated fats.

Where possible, replace foods and drinks high in saturated fat with either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated alternatives. For example:.

Trans fats tend to behave like saturated fats in the body, as they raise blood LDL cholesterol levels and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke. Unlike saturated fats, they tend to also lower HDL good cholesterol, so are likely to be even more damaging.

Trans fats are rare in nature — they are only created in the stomach of cows and sheep. Because of this, trans fats are naturally found in small amounts in milk, cheese, beef and lamb. Trans fats can also be found in some processed foods such as, pies, pastries, cakes, biscuits and buns and in deep-fried takeaway meals.

It is these trans fats produced during food manufacturing that we should be most concerned about, not the small amounts of trans fats naturally found in healthy foods like low-fat dairy products and lean meats. Although foods can contain a mixture of different types of fat, they generally contain one main group of fat.

Saturated fat sources include:. Plant sterols are components in all plants that are very similar in structure to human cholesterol. However, it is hard to eat this amount of plant sterols from natural sources, so there are now plant sterol-enriched margarine and dairy products on the market.

Eating 1 to 1. Fatty acids are a component of dietary fats that are necessary for vital functions in our bodies. There are 2 essential polyunsaturated fatty acids — omega-3 and omega Essential means our bodies cannot create these fatty acids, so we must consume them in our diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in both plant and marine foods, although it is the omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources that have the strongest evidence for health benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease.

Plant food sources include canola and soy oils, canola-based margarine and seeds. Marine sources include fish, especially oily fish such as Atlantic salmon, mackerel, Southern blue fin tuna, trevally and sardines.

Omega-6 fatty acids are mainly found in nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive, corn, soy and safflower. Olive oil is produced by the pressing or crushing of olive fruit. It comes in different grades, depending on the amount of processing involved.

There are unrefined virgin grades and refined grades. The less the oil is refined by heat and chemical treatments, the higher the quality of the oil. Olive oil is an important source of omega-6 fatty acids and antioxidants , which are beneficial for overall health and can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease.

Virgin varieties of olive oil are believed to offer the greatest health benefits as they retain most of the healthy compounds from the olive fruit. Varieties include: Extra virgin oil.

Researchers are investigating the possibility that a diet rich in monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil , may be protective against the development of coronary heart disease. People who have a high consumption of monounsaturated fats from olive oil for example, in Greece and Italy tend to have low rates of coronary heart disease, regardless of their body weight.

Olive oil contains many compounds that are beneficial to human health, including omega-6 fatty acids, plant sterols and phenolic compounds, which seem to possess strong antioxidant properties. Because of these compounds, olive oil consumption may have a protective role against development of breast, colon, lung, ovarian and skin cancers.

Several studies have also shown that olive oil may have additional beneficial effects on blood pressure, obesity , rheumatoid arthritis and immune function. However, the Mediterranean diet contains much more than olive oil.

Choosing extra virgin olive oil as your main source of dietary fat, as well as eating a healthy and balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grain breads and cereals, may reduce your risk of chronic disease development and increase your life expectancy.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines External Link recommend:. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Learn all about alcohol - includes standard drink size, health risks and effects, how to keep track of your drinking, binge drinking, how long it takes to leave the body, tips to lower intake.

A common misconception is that anorexia nervosa only affects young women, but it affects all genders of all ages. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals from the body's cells, and prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation.

No special diet or 'miracle food' can cure arthritis, but some conditions may be helped by avoiding or including certain foods. It is important to identify any foods or food chemicals that may trigger your asthma, but this must be done under strict medical supervision.

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We all have those foods that we love eating together: peanut butter and jelly, watermelon and feta, yogurt and berries. But it turns out there may be a reason to combine certain foods in one sitting beyond simply the taste.

How you combine foods can majorly impact the benefit you get from them: increasing the absorption of important nutrients and boosting the effectiveness of antioxidants.

See which surprising food combos nutritionists recommend the most. To best absorb non-heme iron, aka plant-based iron, you need to give it a little boost by pairing it with a source of vitamin C.

The vitamin C helps break the iron down into a form that the body can more easily absorb. Add a squeeze of lemon or orange juice to a spinach salad , or toss diced apples into a lentil dish. Lycopene may help prevent prostate cancer, for starters.

Whip up a tomato sauce with olive oil, or drizzle oil onto baked tomatoes. Or combine the ingredients in a summer grain bowl or a tomato naan pizza. Spicy stir-fry, anyone? The spice can help relieve symptoms of arthritis and may also benefit kidney health, according to a review study published in Redox Biology.

While there haven't yet been enough human studies to fully understand how it works, preclinical studies show a slew of promising benefits that make it worthwhile to integrate a little turmeric into your diet. This vitamin-and-mineral combo will help keep your bones healthy.

To get this pairing right, eat foods offering vitamin D, such as salmon, tuna, egg yolks or fortified foods like milk and non-dairy beverages such as soymilk and orange juice. Eat a variety of calcium-providing foods, including collard greens, broccoli, dried figs, oranges and dairy foods.

Other protein sources like nuts, legumes, grains, and vegetables are incomplete, meaning they lack one or more of the essential amino acids needed for growth and development. But by pairing incomplete proteins together, you can create a complete protein source. I like my chili lime Buddha bowls for a balanced lunch or dinner!

Getting enough of these vitamins and maximally absorbing them is important because deficiencies are connected with heightened risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes.

If possible, make the fat source a largely unsaturated one, such as nuts, seeds, avocado , olive oil or olives. Want more tips like these?

A Living Well, Work Well newsletter from Cross Benefit Abworption. Instead, they need to gats paired Waist measurement and body weight Nutrient absorption and healthy fats nutrients for your body helthy get the most value out of them. Food Combos to Try. Nutritionists recommend the following common food pairings to aid in the best nutrient absorption:. Beans and rice —Beans and chickpeas are packed with protein and fiber, which can balance out starches like rice. When eaten together, they can help prevent blood-sugar spikes and energy crashes.