High fat, low carb?  Low fat, high carb?   There are so many diets pandered out there that weight control can be confusing.  Research on the effectiveness of the Atkins (high fat and protein), Zone (low glycemic index), Ornish (low fat) and Weight Watchers (simply reducing calories) show that they are about equally effective at weight reduction, as long as you can stick to the diet.  But sticking to it is the rub.  Cheating on any diet is punished by regained weight.  Therefore, it makes most sense to choose a diet that incorporates the foods you like or choose a diet based on getting the most benefit from the calories you eat.  That is the Healthy-foodie approach.

            Rather than limiting total fats or carbs, choose good fats and good carbs to ensure you get all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants you need.  Vary your diet, day to day to guarantee a rich assortment of nutrients will be available for your body.  Make your fruits and vegetables as fresh as possible, to preserve the nutrients.  Cooking denatures some of the vitamins and antioxidants.  When you do cook your food, cook it at the lowest temperature for the shortest period you can.  Avoid cooking food in water, as most of the nutritious benefit is lost to the water.

 Butter Substitutes that Make Sense

            There is much more to planning a healthy diet than avoiding trans-fats. 

Several studies have shown that plant sterols can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol as much as costly cholesterol medicines.  Plant sterols and stanols interfere with cholesterol absorption in the gut and can relably reduce cardiovascular risk, if used on a regular basis.  Several products on the market have incorporated these remarkable substances, including Minute Maid Heart-Wise orange juice and a number of margarine substitutes. 

When choosing a margarine substitute that has plant sterols, look to see how much saturated fat is in the product.  The more saturated fat in it, the less good it is for you.  However, for cooking and baking purposes, higher amounts of saturated fat will give you a more palatable and moist dish.  Benecol and Smart Balance both seem to be good for cooking, though Smart Balance has a bit more saturated fat.  For use as a spread, I recommend Benecol Light, as it currently has the smallest amount of saturated fat.  As the food industry changes its products on a continual basis, it is always best to read the package label and make certain you consider the types as well as the amounts of fat in the products you purchase.    

Choosing an Oil that is Safe to Use in Cooking and Baking  

When substituting more healthy oils for fats in your dishes, it is important to consider the smoke point of the oil.  The smoke point is the temperature at which the oil will begin to smoke, break down and infuse bad odors into the air and your food.  If the temperature goes beyond the smoke point, a fire may erupt!

            Each oil has a different smoke point.  Unrefined canola oil, flaxseed oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil have very low smoke points, about 200 to 230 degrees.  Refined vegetable oils and nut oils have higher smoke points, about 400 degrees.  Olive oil smokes at about 375 degrees, making it not very useful in baking.  Grapeseed oil has a high smoke point, about 420 degrees and is packed with antioxidants.