I recently reached the age of 41 and had bloodwork analyzed and a visit with the doctor. It appears my LDL's are too high and need to be reduced. So the doctor took mercy on me and suggested I take a daily dose of Niacin and a diet that is no more than 30 grams of fat per day.
30 Grams of Fat per Day
A friend of mine who is a nutritionist told me the ideal meal should be less than 10 grams of fat and more than 10 grams of fiber. At three meals a day this is in line with what the doctor suggested.
Dieting has always been confusing. Eat this many calories, don't eat that, eat only protein, stay with vegetables, drink a smoothie. Whatever the case may be their is too much information and misinformation when eating right.
The grocery stores are loaded with items that are not good for you and also send mixed messages. Fat Free, Low Fat, High in Fiber, oh and here's a new one omega something or another.
I don't know about you, but 30 grams of fat a day is impossible if you have to eat out on the road or go out to restaurants. I am in sales so a typical work day may consist of at least one meal on the road. So let me break it down for you.
The following is an example of the Fat intake before starting my new plan on a typical work day.
1. 7:00 am Cup of Coffee w/ fat free creamer & sugar = 1 gram of FAT
2. Bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats w/ skim milk = 2.5 grams of FAT
3. 10:oo am Hard Granola Bar for a Snack = 19.80 grams of FAT
4. 1:00 pm Classic Italian sub 6" = 25 grams of FAT
5. Curly Fries (Med) = 29 grams of FAT
6. Coke (Medium) = 0.00
7. 5:00 pm Glazed Donut = 22.9 grams of FAT
8. 8:30 pm Spaghetti & Meatballs = 26.0 grams of FAT
9. Garlic Bread = 5 grams of FAT
10. 10:00 pm Ice Cream Sandwich = 9.5 grams of FAT
TOTAL FAT INTAKE FOR ONE DAY = 140.7 grams of FAT
Here I was thinking, ok, I eat three meals a day, have two snacks and a little dessert while watching Lost. No big deal. Meanwhile I am feeding my body almost 5 times the amount of FAT than recommended in a given day.
Let's just say it was Friday night and wanted to go out to dinner to PF Chang's. I would usually get the Mongolian Beef and Wonton Soup.
The Mongolian Beef 1 serving is 15 grams of FAT. The problem is that PF Chang's gives you three servings on a plate. So now that one order of Mongolian Beef = 45 grams of FAT exceeding my daily limit by 15 grams.
The Wonton Soup the same thing. There are 8 grams of FAT per serving but one bowl is equal has a total of 5 servings. 40 grams of FAT.
And trust me I would have no problem finishing every bite.
This would of brought the dinner out total to almost 100 grams of FAT.
This has totally shocked me. How is it restaurants are giving 3 - 5 times the serving size. There is so much fat in these foods that it is no wonder our society is becoming sicker and heavier. Many philosophers have said that eating is one thing most people do unconsciously. They aren't aware of how much and what they are actually eating. It is habit forming, addictive and damaging to our bodies and our minds.
So what do you do?
First you need to have a system set up for checking the caloric/fat/carb intake of all the foods you consume. Keep a diary of what you eat and write it all down. Many of the smartphones today have a calorie counter app that you can download. The next step is to be prepared for the cravings and snacking. Prepare in advance snack options and know what the count of each item is. This will prevent you from just going to the pantry and digging through looking for something to eat. I have created a dry snack box and a cold snack box for snack foods. The portions are placed appropriately and detailed with the total fat content.
Here are some tips for eating out when you are on the go?
Arby's: Junior Roastbeef has a total of 9 grams of fat.
Skip the fries and forget the soda. Water and an apple can fill you up if needed.
Chick-fil-A has a grilled chicken sandwich with only 3.5 grams of FAT. But adding the sauce packet will add another 6 grams of FAT. So maybe you can use only half of it for a total of 6.5 grams of FAT.
Keep in mind BBQ sauces don't have any fat. They are a good substitute. The Buffalo sauce has no fat.
If you are eating Pizza. 1 Slice is going to clock in at around 9 grams.
Taco Bell: Settle for 2 soft Tacos Steak or Chicken Fresca Style for a grand total of 9 grams of FAT.
The bottom line is that the whole Fast Food and Grocery industry lies to us each day. There are misconceptions and what you think is real isn't. You need to think about what you eat and how much you eat. There was a couple that bought some kitchen cabinets from England and after they had them installed the plates wouldn't fit into the cabinet. The reason was that in Europe the standard plate size is 9" as opposed to the USA where our plates our a whopping 12".
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