Good Fats vs. Bad Fats + Lemon Parmesan Salmon

Good Fats vs. Bad Fats

Hearing the word fat might conjure up some negative connotations. For the longest time, everyone was taught to stay away from all fats. However, recent research has show that eating the right kinds of fats are necessary for both optimal health and functioning and even weight loss. All things in moderation still holds true for good fats, but what's important is that you are eating the right kind and ditching the bad.

Unsaturated fats are the kind of fats you should be eating. These types of fats actually lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) and boost the good kind (HDL). Unsaturated fats help prevent disease, support your brain functioning, and lower blood pressure.

Good fats are found in:

• coldwater fish (like salmon, tuna, sardines)
• nuts and seeds
• oils (like olive, flax and other vegetable oils)
• avocado
• dark leafy greens. 

Most of these good fats contain omega-3s, which are essential fatty acids. This means our body can't produce the fatty acid on its own, so it needs to derive it from natural foods.

Saturated fats, on the other hand, are the fats you shouldn't be eating. These are the fats that will cause weight gain, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. 

Fats to avoid high intake of include:

• Dairy (like cream and cheese)
• Animal fat (like meats)

Cutting these fats out completely isn't necessary though, because some saturated fats are needed in our diet. For instance, coconut oil, which is a saturated fat, has been shown to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. Again, it's all things in moderation. 

The worst type of fat for you, which should be avoided as much as possible, is trans fat, also known as hydrogenated fat. These fats are created when liquid vegetable oils are converted into solid fats via a hydrogenation process. Trans fats lower good cholesterol and raise bad cholesterol. These fats are really common in processed foods, and you have to check the label for "hydrogenated oil" to see if what you are eating has trans fat. If it's an ingredient on the label, toss it. A lot of foods from your regular supermarket have trans fat, especially most junk food, or anything that seems processed. 

Before we get to the fish recipe, I just wanted to take a quick moment to talk about low-fat products. It seems like it would make a lot of sense to eat low-fat products to minimize intake of saturated fats. However, the problem with low-fat foods is that when they remove the fat, they replace it with more sugar or salt and sometimes unhealthy chemicals. It also can result in increased calories. 

So, go for the full fat or low-fat version? I'd say pay attention to labels, and try to keep intake of both low. 

In the spirit of healthy fats, here is a really simple recipe for salmon, a food high in omega-3s. Ironically, I put cheese on top of this dish, but a little bit of grated cheese will go a long way! 

Lemon Parmesan-Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

Wild Salmon

2 Garlic cloves

1/2 Lemon

Parmesan cheese grated, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Chop garlic and spread over salmon.

3. Squeeze half of the lemon half over the fish.

4. Spread grated parmesan cheese over salmon.

5. Squeeze the rest of the lemon over the cheese-covered salmon.

6. Bake for about 10-15 minutes (or less if you have a strong oven), until cheese starts to bubble and turn golden. Fish should be flaky.

Add lemon, to taste, if desired.

How to Eat Meat + Easy Buffalo Chili & Sweet Potato Fries

After so many posts without meat, I thought it was appropriate to write one all about it, especially because it's finals time for many, and this is the best time to eat it! Since meat is such an excellent source of protein, it really boosts brain power and focus, as well as mood. However, there are some rules you should follow when picking and choosing the best meat for yourself.

I know I talk about this all the time, but you should really watch Food Inc. if you want to learn about the meat industry in the US. Most of the standard meat for sale is made from cows, pigs and chicken that are shoved together in one small space, with no room to move and that eat and poop all over each other. I know it sounds graphic, but this is what causes disease like E Coli, which can be deadly.

Additionally, these livestock are being given antibiotics, even if they are healthy. This is done to encourage growth in the animals and make them fattier and meatier. The major problem with this is that it's causing antibiotic resistance in humans. This is a serious issue. We need antibiotics to fight major illnesses, but if we are resistant to them because of their overuse, and because of their prevalence in food, we won't be able to use them to treat serious illnesses when we actually need them.

That being said, here are the rules of thumb for the type of meats you should be buying and consuming to get all of the positive health benefits and non of the negative:

Chicken:

Free Range: These animals are allowed to roam freely on the farm instead of being in a tightly enclosed space with other animals. This keeps the animals healthier from diseases.

Organic: These meats have no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical or synthetic fertilizers, nitrates, nitrites or preservatives. They are also not treated with hormones, GMOS, or antibiotics. Aka, they are all natural. These additives are stored in the animal's fat, and can cause excess weight gain in humans. You're not only being environmental, but you are helping your body get rid of these toxins when you eat organic meat.

Red Meats:

Grass fed: This type of meat has more Omega 3s as well as Vitamin E. You are also significantly less likely to get E Coli from grass fed animals than from animals fed with grain.

Organic: Same benefits as chicken.

Fish: 

Wild caught: Fish raised in farms live in similar conditions to farm raised animals in enclosed spaces. They are controlled in small pens and contain more fat, antibiotics and toxins than wild caught fish. This is especially important for fish like salmon, who are fed the most antibiotics of all meats in order to prevent them from getting diseases that are swarming around in the sewage-like water of these lakes and ponds. Wild fish, on the other hand, swim freely in the Pacific, in clean water, free of antibiotics and color-enhancers. They are higher in Omega-3s, which help prevent heart disease and boost mood. They also contain less fat than farm raised fish.


This may seem like a lot to ask for, but many restaurants and grocery stores are now selling and serving organic, free-range, grass fed and wild caught meats. Just carefully check labels, and Google some eating out options and it shouldn't be too hard to find. None of the taste is compromised with these practices. In fact, you might find that they taste better.

How often should I eat meat?
I think it really depends on the person, but here is my suggestion for an average individual: Red meat no more than once a week. Fish one to two times a week, but try to have it at least once. Chicken once or twice a week.

Buffalo Chili & Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Ketchup

Ingredients:

1 lb buffalo meat

1/2 can kidney beans

1 chopped medium onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 large white mushrooms, chopped

10 grape tomatoes, chopped

Chopped red and yellow peppers, to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Chili pepper flakes, to taste

Serves 2 to 3

1. Chop and saute your vegetables in the olive oil. Cook until almost completely ready (onions are translucent, tomatoes are soft).

2. Add in the buffalo meat, on medium to low heat. Buffalo takes less time to cook than beef and needs the medium to low temperature to cook correctly. You can cook the meat to how you like it, and many like it medium. I cooked it a little longer just to be safe, and it was still incredibly flavorful, as buffalo meat generally is. I cooked the meat for about 3 to 4 minutes. 

3. Add the balsamic vinegar, beans, and chili pepper flakes. Let the meat stand for a couple of minutes before serving to maximize the taste. 

Serve over grain of choice, if desired. I had mine with barley, and it was hearty and filling. Quinoa is another great option (of course).

Buffalo is a great alternative to beef. It's really simple to cook and extremely flavorful on its own. I didn't have to add anything heavy to this recipe to make it flavorful, and I didn't have any of the traditional spices for a chili, but it was still very, very tasty. In terms of health benefits, buffalo has less fat and less cholesterol than beef.

For fries: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop sweet potato into fry-sized slices. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and place the sweet potato fries apart so they aren't touching each other. You can drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top of the fries, if you desire. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until crispy. Keep your eye on them, because bake times can range depending on your oven. Mine is weak, so it takes longer. Serve with ketchup and Sriracha, mixed (about two parts ketchup, one part Sriracha). 

Bon Apetit!

What I Ate During Hurricane Sandy

Sorry again for the all the delays in posts, it's been a pretty crazy month. I've been really sick, and then we got hit with the hurricane, and I lost power for 5 days. It was inconvenient, but my roommate Sara and I still managed to have a little fun with it, and we went old school and cooked by candlelight. During the four days we were still here, before we ran out of refrigerated food and escaped to Boston, we cooked all our meals using the frozen and refrigerated foods before they went bad. I tried to take as many pictures as I could, so enjoy this compilation of some of my Hurricane Sandy meals.

Before the power went out:

Poached Egg over Swiss, Avocado, Tomatoes and Spinach over Whole Wheat Toast:

My first attempt at a poached egg! I used Mark Bittman's directions here, and it's a lot harder than it looks! I lost a little bit of my yolk, I think because my water wasn't hot enough after I turned it down. I'm going to have to attempt it again sometime soon. 

Lemony Quinoa and Kale Salad