FAT PART 2 More on Blood Cholesterol Levels, Heredity, and Heart Health

What are the major determiners of blood cholesterol levels? Diet – What does a diet high in animal fats(saturated) do to blood cholesterol levels? Saturated fats increase blood cholesterol levels. Heredity

CHOLESTEROL Does your body require cholesterol for proper functioning? Yes! It is a part of your hormones and cell structure in your brain, for example Do you have to eat a certain amount of cholesterol in your food? No, your liver produces all of the cholesterol you need after the age of 2. (Breast milk has just the right amount of cholesterol.) Which foods contain a lot of cholesterol? Egg yolks and organ meats like liver, brain, kidneys, etc. What causes blood cholesterol problems, foods with cholesterol or foods with saturated fat? Foods with saturated (animal) fat cause the most problems. Most of us can safely eat 4 eggs or so per week. Eggs are not bad because they are an excellent source of protein, iron, other minerals, and B vitamins.

MY FAMILY HEALTH TREE Your heredity places a large role in determining your risk of heart and blood vessel disease. Fill out the Family Health Tree handout starting in class and finishing at home. Put in the names of all of your relatives as well as their ages. Add rectangles if you need them and X out those you don’t. Write down health conditions that may be hereditary like heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, cancer or lifestyle choices like cigarette smoking, lack of exercise, or poor diet. Look for repeated risk factors in your family health tree. Describe your risk factors based on your heredity. Tell what you could do to reduce your risk.

HOMEWORK Take the handout home and go over your family’s health history with your parents or guardians. Look for repeated risk factors in your family. Answer the questions on the back of the handout.

CHOICES Shall we eat home cooked meals or go out for McDonald’s?! Let’s make a quick comparison. HOME: Breakfast – 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 cup 1% milk, 1 T. raisins 1 banana, 1 slice whole wheat bread, 1 tsp. peanut butter Lunch – Turkey sandwich (3 oz. turkey, 2 slices of rye bread, 2 tsp. mayo, 1 tsp. mustard, tomato), 1 orange, 1 cup of 1% milk Dinner – 4 oz. broiled chicken breast, 1 cup of brown rice, ½ cup of broccoli, ½ cup of carrots, 2 cups of mixed greens salad, 1 T. olive oil Italian dressing, 1 cup of 1% milk Does this sound pretty good? This is just for comparison purposes, not the quantities that an active teenager would actually eat. Total calories: 1638Total fat: 40 grams

MCDONALD’S CHOICE Total calories: 1680 Total fat: 71 grams of fat What you get: A Big Mac Large Fries A Large Coca Cola An Apple Pie What do you think?

FAT VISUALS The recommended balance of fat for health is 2/3 plant fat and 1/3 animal fat. Recommended amounts: Teenage Girls, Active Women, Less Active Men Total Fat: Less than 73 grams Saturated Fat: 25 grams or less Unsaturated Fat: 48 grams or less Teenage Boys, Active Men, Very Active Women Total Fat: Less than 93 grams Saturated Fat: 31 grams or less Unsaturated Fat: 62 grams or less How many grams of fat were in your McDonald’s lunch?!

FAT IN A BUN There are many fats hidden in our foods. The important thing is to become aware of what we are eating in order to make healthier choices.

DOUBLE WHOPPER WITH CHEESE WHO WILL VOLUNTEER TO EAT THIS?

A HEALTHY CHICKEN SANDWICH?

BREAKFAST?

A HEALTHY SALAD?

WHERE’S THE DRESSING?

PASTA!