- some fats are very harmful, and should be avoided, but some fats (especially
foods rich in the essential fatty acids) are very healthful and essential for
your well-being.. Getting most of your ration of fats from fish (especially those high in essen-
tial fatty acids, e.g., sardines, mackerel and salmon), avocados, olive oil, raw
nuts and seeds, boiled eggs, and low-fat dairy products is vastly different
from getting the same quantity of fats from pizza, fried food, margarine and
shortenings (i.e., hydrogenated oils), high-heated (fried) oils, refined oils,
omelettes and scrambled eggs, and full-fat dairy products. e overall caloric
value might be the same, but the impact on health would be vastly differ-
ent.. Having lived in Cyprus for many years I have come to appreciate the very
high esteem with which virgin olive oil is held in Mediterranean countries.
Use it daily on your salads and elsewhere that is appropriate, e.g., on fish,
and dip bread in it rather than use margarine or butter.. How you prepare food can determine whether or not the fat in it is healthful
or unhealthful. e body can handle some oxidized fat, oil and cholesterol,
but give it too much and it cannot cope. Reduce the consumption of fats
which have been heated while exposed to air, and processed fats and choles-
terol. Cured, processed and aged foods should be avoided, e.g., sausages and
some meats and cheeses. Eggs should be boiled, not fried or scrambled. All
fried food should be avoided. And butter should be used (sparingly, though)
instead of margarine.. Check out the ingredients of convenience foods and snacks, and see how
frequent shortenings, shortening oils, and partially hydrogenated vegetable
oils appear. Avoid those foods. And even be careful with oils that have the
potential to be very healthy, e.g., flax and hemp. ese oils must be fresh
and in their natural state. If exposed to light during processing, storage or
display, or if they are exposed to heat during processing, or if they are used
for frying in the kitchen, they turn into harmful oils.Macronutrient percentages
Discovering your current macronutrient intake
. Using the data compiled from the test period(s) described under Determin-
ing Maintenance Caloric Intake, determine the balance you typically have
between the macronutrients, i.e., carbohydrates, fat and protein. Total up