Confirming my deeply and long held suspicions that low-fat diets are inherently unhealthy:
WSJ.com - Health Journal
Want Fat With That? A Surprising Way To Make Vegetables More Nutritious...some of the best stuff in fruits and vegetables -- certain vitamins and cancer-fighting compounds -- are “fat-soluble.” That means some fat needs to be present for the body to adequately absorb the nutrients. But studies are now showing that people who opt for no-fat dressing or who skip adding foods like avocado or cheese to a dish to avoid fat calories, are getting far less out of their salads and other veggies.
“What we're finding is that if you don't have some fat in the meal, all these wonderful” compounds are missed, says Steven Clinton, program leader for molecular carcinogenesis and chemoprevention and the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in Columbus. “If the nutrients don't get into your system, then what good are they?”
Dr. Clinton's latest research looks at how adding avocado -- which is relatively high in unsaturated fat -- to salsa or a salad affects how well the body absorbs healthful compounds in the foods. In particular, the study looked at absorption of carotenoids, the red, yellow and orange pigments found in many fruits and vegetables that are believed to have cancer-fighting properties.
I wonder if I can add avocado to vodka tonics? Mmmm, thick and rich.
Tags: Food
For the salsa study, 11 test subjects were first given a meal of fat-free salsa and some bread. Another day, the same meal was offered, but this time avocado was added to the salsa, boosting the fat content of the meal to about 37% of calories. In checking blood levels of the test subjects, researchers found that the men and women absorbed an average of 4.4 times as much lycopene and 2.6 times as much beta carotene when the avocado was added to the food.Lycopene is the red carotenoid found in tomatoes and watermelon that is being studied as a potential fighter of prostate and other cancers. Beta carotene is the orange pigment in fruits and vegetables that is used in the body's manufacture of vitamin A. Studies suggest that diets high in fruits and vegetables containing beta carotene are linked to lower cancer rates.
With the salad test, the impact of adding avocado was even greater. The first salad included romaine lettuce, baby spinach, shredded carrots and a no-fat dressing, resulting in a fat content of about 2%. After avocado was added, the fat content jumped to 42%. When the salad was consumed with the avocado, the 11 test subjects absorbed seven times the lutein and nearly 18 times the beta carotene. Lutein is a carotenoid found in many green vegetables and is linked with improved eye and heart health.
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A recent rat study by German researchers showed that the type of fat matters. They compared vitamin E absorption in rats that were fed diets with cottonseed oil or hydrogenated oils -- which contain unhealthy trans fats. The trans fats actually slowed the absorption of vitamin E compared with other type of fat.
Seriously though, try adding a teaspoon of flax oil to dishes, right before serving. Quite tasty, in fact. And we consume several avocados a week. Love em.
