TYPES OF FAT
One way to minimize your total blood cholesterol is to manage the amount and types of fat in your diet. Aim for monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats; avoid saturated and trans fats.
MONOUNSATURATED FAT lowers LDL (bad cholesterol) and may raise HDL (good cholesterol) or leave it unchanged; found in almonds, avocados, canola oil, cashews, olive oil, peanut oil, and peanuts.
POLYUNSATURATED FAT lowers LDL and may lower HDL; includes omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids; found in corn oil, cot-tonseed oil, fish such as salmon and tuna, safflower oil, sesame seeds, soybeans, and sunflower oil.
SATURATED FAT raises both LDL and HDL; found in chocolate, cocoa butter, coconut oil, dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, ice cream), egg yolks, palm oil, and red meat.
TRANS FAT raises LDL and lowers HDL; a type of fat common in many processed foods, such as most margarines (especially stick), vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, many commercial fried foods (doughnuts, french fries), and commercial baked goods (cookies, crackers, cakes).
Calorie-Burning Comparisons
If you hustle through your chores to get to the fitness center, relax. You’re getting a great workout already. The left-hand column lists “chore” exercises, the middle column shows the number of calories burned per minute per pound of body weight, and the right-hand column lists comparable “recreational” exercises. For example, a 150-pound person forking straw bales burns 9.45 calories per minute, the same workout he or she would get playing basketball.
Chopping with an ax, fast |
0.135 |
Skiing, cross country, uphill |
---|---|---|
Climbing hills, with 44-pound load |
0.066 |
Swimming, crawl, fast |
Digging trenches |
0.065 |
Skiing, cross country, steady walk |
Forking straw bales |
0.063 |
Basketball |
Chopping down trees |
0.060 |
Football |
Climbing hills, with 9-pound load |
0.058 |
Swimming, crawl, slow |
Sawing by hand |
0.055 |
Skiing, cross country, moderate |
Mowing lawns |
0.051 |
Horseback riding, trotting |
Scrubbing floors |
0.049 |
Tennis |
Shoveling coal |
0.049 |
Aerobic dance, medium |
Hoeing |
0.041 |
Weight training, circuit training |
Stacking firewood |
0.040 |
Weight lifting, free weights |
Shoveling grain |
0.038 |
Golf |
Painting houses |
0.035 |
Walking, normal pace, asphalt road |
Weeding |
0.033 |
Table tennis |
Shopping for food |
0.028 |
Cycling, 5.5 mph |
Mopping floors |
0.028 |
Fishing |
Washing windows |
0.026 |
Croquet |
Raking |
0.025 |
Dancing, ballroom |
Driving a tractor |
0.016 |
Drawing, standing position |