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One meal won't matter, right? Wrong!
A few years ago a fancy restaurant opened in my town. One evening, shortly after it opened, my husband and I were invited for dinner by some neighbors. I was looking at the menu trying to find something that wouldn't upset my intestinal tract (I have IBS) and I was having a tough time because the lion's share of the menu seemed to be dripping in saturated fat.
Right at that moment at a table near us, a gentleman, who seemed to have just eaten, was having a heart attack and was taken away by paramedics. I found myself thinking...FIRST OF ALL, I HOPE HE'S GOING TO BE OKAY...THEN I THOUGHT, "WHAT DID HE JUST HAVE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT IT"...and I found myself wondering whether what we eat on a rare evening out can harm your health in the short term (while the saturated fat is circulating in your blood stream after digestion). Can you tell that I'm a whole lot of fun to take out to a restaurant?
One super rich, greasy or creamy meal isn't going to harm your health, right? New research from Australia and Sweden says "wrong!" Researchers fed a high-saturated fat or high polyunsaturated fat meal on two separate occasions to 14 healthy men and women. The researchers found that several hours after eating a high-saturated fat meal, there was a decrease in the ability of the good cholesterol (HDLs) to act as an anti-inflammatory and to help arteries relax (which allows for better blood flow). On the contrary, the anti-inflammatory action of HDLs improved after the consumption of polyunsaturated fat. So avoiding restaurant meals high in saturated fat is definitely a good idea.
~~Elaine
Related Topics: Healthy Meat Choices, High Cholesterol Lifestyle Changes
Technorati Tags: saturatedfat, restaurants, highfatmeals, heartattack, cholesterol, hdl
Right at that moment at a table near us, a gentleman, who seemed to have just eaten, was having a heart attack and was taken away by paramedics. I found myself thinking...FIRST OF ALL, I HOPE HE'S GOING TO BE OKAY...THEN I THOUGHT, "WHAT DID HE JUST HAVE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT IT"...and I found myself wondering whether what we eat on a rare evening out can harm your health in the short term (while the saturated fat is circulating in your blood stream after digestion). Can you tell that I'm a whole lot of fun to take out to a restaurant?
One super rich, greasy or creamy meal isn't going to harm your health, right? New research from Australia and Sweden says "wrong!" Researchers fed a high-saturated fat or high polyunsaturated fat meal on two separate occasions to 14 healthy men and women. The researchers found that several hours after eating a high-saturated fat meal, there was a decrease in the ability of the good cholesterol (HDLs) to act as an anti-inflammatory and to help arteries relax (which allows for better blood flow). On the contrary, the anti-inflammatory action of HDLs improved after the consumption of polyunsaturated fat. So avoiding restaurant meals high in saturated fat is definitely a good idea.
~~Elaine
Related Topics: Healthy Meat Choices, High Cholesterol Lifestyle Changes
Technorati Tags: saturatedfat, restaurants, highfatmeals, heartattack, cholesterol, hdl
5 Comments:
A person getting ill in a restaurant is terrible advertisement for their food. What a scary incident and hope that man is okay.
Restaurants do add way too much oil and salt to food. That is why I hardly eat out nowadays or I just try to cut my portions of the food served. I am not perfect but I really try to make an effort because food can really have a huge, immediate impact on health.
I very rarely eat out. I can't justify the cost. I try to eat right at home.
Donna A.
I believe you can eat healthy at a resturant by asking a few questions. Ask for the salad dressing on the side, always, and try to use a non-creamy dressing. Ask for all cream sauces (served with entres) to be put on the side and vegetables NOT to be cooked in butter. Good resturants have no problem makeing these adjustments and you will soon realize how much fat they add to the food.
Kari Alpern
While the science may be sound regarding the physical impact of one meal that's high in saturated fat, I'm concerned about trumpeting a message driving an all-or-nothing model of behavior.
Whate will this sort of message do to people who already have significant emotional complications when they sit down to the table?
Saturated fat is GOOD and NECESSARY for life. Unsaturated fats are dangerous because they cause free radical mania in the body. Here's a link to this politically incorrect information: http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/saturated-fat-attack.html
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