Order the Salad, But Don't Hold the Fat

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Remember the avocado! A great vegetarian source of healthy fat.

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Order the Salad, But Don't Hold the Fat

By Alison McCook

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

 

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_19189.html

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People need to include moderate amounts

of fat with their uncooked vegetables in order to absorb the

beneficial nutrients, new research shows.

 

U.S. investigators found that when people ate salads with fat-free

dressing, their bodies did not absorb alpha-carotene, beta-carotene

or lycopene -- substances known to protect against cancer and heart

disease.

 

In contrast, when people doused their salads with reduced-fat or

regular dressing, their carotenoid levels went up substantially.

 

These findings suggest that people should include small amounts of

cheese, meat, or other sources of fat in their salads or opt for

something other than non-fat dressing if they want to get the most

out of their veggies, study author Dr. Wendy S. White told Reuters

Health.

 

And if people like to snack on carrot sticks in between meals,

consider dipping them in ranch dressing, she added.

 

However, she cautioned that fat intake is " really a balancing act, "

since many Americans currently consume too much fat in their diet.

 

" We don't want them drowning their salad in full-fat salad dressing, "

said White, who is based at Iowa State University in Ames. " Fat is

part of a healthy diet. The key is moderation. "

 

Carotenoids are red, yellow and orange pigments found in fruits and

vegetables. They act as antioxidants, which prevent disease-causing

free radicals from damaging the DNA of cells. Long-term damage by

free radicals leads to aging and chronic disease.

 

To investigate whether people need fat with their carotenoids to get

their disease-fighting benefits, White and her colleagues asked seven

people to eat three different salads on three separate occasions. The

salads contained spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes and

carrots, and were covered in non-fat dressing, reduced-fat dressing

(with 6 grams of fat) or full-fat dressing (28 grams of fat).

 

Reporting in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, White and

her colleagues found that when people ate the non-fat salads, there

was " virtually no absorption of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene or

lycopene. "

 

However, when people used reduced-fat dressing on their salads,

levels of these carotenoids increased in their bodies. Full-fat

dressing increased carotenoids even further.

 

In an interview, White explained that carotenoids are " fat-soluble, "

meaning they are essentially not absorbed by the body without the aid

of fats.

 

These findings may not apply to cooked vegetables, White noted, for

research suggests that people absorb carotenoids more easily from

cooked or processed vegetables.

 

She added that, even without fat, vegetables still contribute other

important substances, such as fiber, vitamin C and folate.

 

But if you can sprinkle uncooked vegetables with a little bit of fat,

that might not hurt, she said. " A few tablespoons of bacon bits are

not going to ruin anyone's health. "

 

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 2004.

 

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