So I was eating my yummy treats from Hawaii that my best friends
sends me every year for Christmas and my birthday. So its a goodie box from
Hawaii so you know there are going to be Macadamias nuts. I have not been very rigorous
on my workouts during the holiday season and except for sticking to my two
shakes a day (Body By Vi I love them) and despite munching on my goodies I
still broke through this little plateau I was stuck in and lost a pound. So
while snacking on a handful nuts I looked over the calorie and nutrition of my
yummy nuts and WOW in a 1/4 cup these little guys have 230 calories. Most of
which are of course fat 24 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs and 2 grabs protein.
The fat grams are broken down Saturated fat 3.5 grams, Trans fat 0,
Polyunsaturated fat 0, and last but not least Monosaturated fat 20 grams. So
how with stats like this did I still loose a pound while eating a few (I grab a
handful and munch I don't eat a whole bag in one sitting just to clarify) of
these covered in chocolate.
First things first
even sliding a bit on my diet replacing my breakfast and lunch with my Visuals
shake kept my calorie intake down. The fact that I only maybe had two handfuls
a day I am sure helped but to be honest that is not something I would normally
have so I was having a hard time believing that replacing my granola bar (90
calorie) snack with this one that was full a fat still feels like I should have
gained, right?
So are all fats
created equal? Lets break it down a little each gram of fat has 9 calories, for
a reference carbs and protein each have 4 calories a gram and alcohol has 7.
Fats are essential in absorbing fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and help
provide energy. I have also read that it also helps you feel full longer and
faster.
Now lets see the
differences between the different kinds of fat:
Saturated Fat: This type of fat is solid at room
temperature. Typical found in animal foods, milk, cheese, and meat, and
tropical oils for example coconut oil and palm oil. Saturated fat raises your
cholesterol.
Trans Fat: This is the one most of my friends check
for. This type of fat is found in processed foods to give them a longer shelf
life and is also known for raising cholesterol. This is one that seems to be
most stressed about and every where you look you are being told to stay away
from it.
Unsaturated
Fat: This
type of fat is usually a liquid at room temperature. Unlike saturated fats may
cause your cholesterol to go down. This type of fat is broken down to
Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated.
Polyunsaturated
fat: Is found a lot in
vegetable oils (ex. Sesame, soybean, and corn) and main fat in seafood. Eating
Polyunsaturated fat is thought to help lower LDL Cholesterol. Two types of this
fat are Omega-3 and Omega-6. From previous post you guys know knows omegas are
very healthy.
Monounsaturated
Fat: Mainly
found in vegetable oils (ex canola, olive and peanut oils). This type of fat is
though to lower the Bad LDL while raising the good HDL cholesterol levels, but
only if you cut back on your saturated fat. NO eating both and hoping for
results.
I am hoping with
me eating my healthier Vi Shakes and eating a handful of these nuts that
besides loosing weight and feeling better (oh and lets not forget my pants are
getting loose so I am going to say looking better too) that I have helped lower
cholesterol. I am not sure if that would have helped with my weight loss but I
am sure it didnt hurt.
