After the fat-free diet boom of the nineties, confusion about fats sky rocketed. To address this issue, the American Heart Association (AHA) has released a new web-based calculator called My Fats Translator. This tool is meant to clear up any confusion there may be around fats by first calculating your calorie needs and then explaining how this translates into the amount of fat you should be eating. The AHA's fat translator is a part of as section called Face the Fats. Face the Fats provides an abundance of information about fats, with a slue of recommendations on how to eat within your fat goals.

To get you started thinking about fats, here are few facts:

We need fat. It provides energy, supports cell growth, and protects vital organs. Fat also helps regulate body temperature, absorb important nutrients, and produce hormones.

There are four different kinds of fat: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. Each one differs in chemical structure and how it affects our body.

Saturated fats and trans fats are often called "unhealthy" fats. These fats are typically solid at room temperature (like butter) and are known to raise LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) levels. Since they put us at a greater risk for heart disease, it is recommended to be keep the proportion of saturated and trans fat from the food we eat below 10% of our daily calories (My Fats Translator recommends no more than 7% from saturated fat or 1% from trans fat).

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered healthier types of fats. They are liquid at room temperature (like olive oil) and do not raise LDL cholesterol. In fact, monounsaturated fats may also help raise HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol), while polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce blood pressure and triglycerides.

The calorie content of fat is the same across the board, no matter what kind you are eating. One gram of fat provides 9 calories. Therefore be mindful of the amount of total fat you eat each day, because an excess will lead to weight gain.

Although it is great if a product claims to be trans fat-free, it doesn't mean it is healthy. Consider the rest of the product ingredients before deeming it healthy or unhealthy. It may not have trans fat, but it could be high in sugar and saturated fat, while low in fiber, vitamins and minerals.

In the end, eat a diet that has fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain, high fiber foods as the base. Eating fat-free or low-fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry, and fish (twice a week) will provide the fats you need (healthy fats), while being low in unhealthy saturated and trans fats. Never forget- you do not have to give up the foods you love to follow a healthy diet. Everything can be included in moderation with consideration to your overall meal pattern.

To learn more, and what your fat goals are, visit the American Heart Association's fat translator at www.myfatstranslator.com.

This question was featured in an April 2007 The Republican Plus Paper, Springfield, MA.

Dietary Fiber is the fibrous component of the plant foods we eat that are resistant to breaking down during digestion. There are a number of different molecules that make up what we generally label "fiber" in our foods. With that said, fibers do tend to be divided into two categories- insoluble fiber and soluble fiber. Insoluble fibers are usually the components of fruits, vegetables, and grains (like cereal bran) that add weight to stool. These are the fibers one thinks of when they are looking to promote a healthy colon by "increasing their fiber intake" to have regular bowel movements. Soluble fibers are primarily thought to be more viscous in nature than insoluble fibers (although not all insoluble fibers are viscous). Viscous fibers help reduce blood cholesterol levels (by-way of reducing the amount of "bad" cholesterol in our blood) and for individuals with diabetes, promote blood sugar control (due to reducing the amount of glucose dumped into our blood after eating). Soluble fibers can be found in fruits (apples), vegetables (potatoes), legumes (beans), and grains (barely, oat bran, oatmeal).

The role specific (soluble or insoluble) fibers play in disease risk is open for discussion. Both large population and small group observational studies seem to indicate diets high in fiber can reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. When smaller clinical studies are conducted, researchers find it harder to support such observed cause and effect relationships. This simple deviation between observational studies and clinical trials is a very important piece to understanding nutrition science- the overall relationship between the foods we eat and how they work together may be the power of prevention for diseases rather then specific, isolated nutrients and molecules. Therefore, not one food component is ever working alone! What a great reason for eating all foods in moderation.

The average American diet falls 10-20 grams shy of the daily recommended amount of fiber. Hence, the American Dietetic Association recommends following a diet with a modest increase in fiber through fruits, vegetables, whole- and high-fiber grains to work towards the daily recommended 25-35 grams of dietary fiber. As a bonus, diets higher in fiber also tend to be greater in volume (i.e.: large quantity of foods), but lower in calories, fat, and simple sugars. These secondary benefits of following a high fiber diet may also help with weight management because you would find yourself feeling more satisfied and full of energy while consuming a lower amount of calories. As you work on increasing your fiber intake, just remember to do so slowly while increasing your fluid intake to help prevent against both diarrhea (too much fiber) and constipation (too little water).

This question was featured in the February 21, 2006 The Republican Plus Paper, Springfield, MA.