Choosing Fats Wisely When You Have DiabetesOne key to making healthy food choices is to choose fats wisely. There are healthy fats, which our bodiesneed, and there are fats that can hurt our health.Healthy fats called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can actually help lower your risk of heartdisease, a major concern for people with diabetes.You will find monounsaturated fats in olive oil, canola oil, nuts and nut butters, olives and avocados.Polyunsaturated fats can be found in: sesame, sunflower, safflower, and corn oils; walnuts, soy nuts and soyprotein products; and fatty fish such as herring, salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines and swordfish.“For the fat it has, for those things that are the fatty fish, the omega-3 fats have been shown to be veryprotective for heart and even brain and mood.”To get the benefit of these good fats add a few nuts or seeds to the foods you choose.Use olive oil or canola oil to prepare your foods. Try a slice of avocado on top of your salad.Talk with your diabetes care team to find out which foods can give you the benefits of healthy fat.“Things like avocados and olives and nuts, delicious and nutritious, satisfying, can be used as a snackor as a part of a meal.”You still want to pay attention to the serving size for healthy fats as they can be high in calories.At the same time, reduce the amount of saturated fats you eat. Saturated fats can increase your risk of heartdisease.These can be found in foods that come from animals, like beef, lamb, pork and dairy products. Your goalshould be to have less than 10% of your calories from saturated fats.Eat less of foods high in saturated fats. Choose lean meats like chicken breast, and seafood, and bake, broil orgrill instead of frying.And take advantage of the low-fat, or reduced fat foods out there. Choose 1% or skim milk instead of wholemilk. You might like the reduced fat salad dressings if you give them a try.Be careful though, some foods advertise lower fat but actually increase the sugar to get the same flavor. Thatcan mean more carbohydrates and calories than you expect.Talk to your healthcare provider about changes you can make when choosing foods with fat. Start with onechange today.You can increase the healthy fats you eat, reduce bad fats like saturated fats, and switch to reduced fat or lowfat versions of your favorite foods.By selecting healthy fats each day, you can increase your overall health for the better.
