Dancemax Letter # 31 Thursday, December 28, 2000


Dancing Tid-bits
Fat Grams, How to Count

Some of you may be saying! nonsense..what is all the fuss about Diet and Fat Grams. Yes, it sounds very repetitive almost to the point of boredom. However the tragedy of a heart attack is a reality of life and when it does happen it turns your life topsy-turvy. If you survive, I mean if you are that lucky...you suddenly realize your life has come to a fullstop with darkness around you. It does and can happen to healthy dancers and of course aging coaches. If you are receptive to this information read this series and learn from my personal experience and put it to work. If you are too young or naive to heed any attention to this subject, at least make hard copies, this information may be useful someday. Not only that, but this recipe is also for those who want to loose weight or maintain an ideal weight with good body contouring. Anyway...!

How to Count Fat Grams. It is really quite simple. Before we try to understand what that means, let us have some Questions and Answers:

Q: What are different Types of Fat and What do they mean?
A: There are Saturated Fats and Unsaturated Fats. Never mind the Chemical Formula

Q; How can I tell Saturated Fat from Unsaturated Fat.
A: Saturated Fats are solid at room temperature while unsaturated Fats tend to be Liquid.

Q; Why bother with Saturated and Unsaturated stuff?
A: Good you asked that. Saturated Fats are more dangerous. They tend to clog your coronaries (arteries to your heart) more than the unsaturated Fats. Remember it's like this, If you had a garbage can with some holes in the bottom, the solid waste in it will tend to stay more but the liquids will clear up sooner. Your body is just like that and saturated fat is like solid garbage that tends to build up in your coronaries.

Q: Should I really differentiate sat Vs unsat fat in my diet.
A: Well, if you follow my guideline, I will restrict your fat intake to the point that you wont have to even think about this differentiation. It will be automatic almost "0 Saturated Fat."

Q; What are mono and poly unsaturated Fats.
A: I don't know and I don't care to find out. I know they are OK. Keep it simple and stupid. If I restrict my fat to 20 grams a day, believe me, I wont have to think about it.

Q; What are Good and Bad Fats
A: Saturated Fats are Bad, Unsaturated not so bad.
Q: Examples of Saturated Fats in Diet?
A: Let's get to the point. The biggest source of saturated Fats in our diet is Meats and Dairy. For Example: Each serving of 3.5 oz of the following;
Red Meats* 15 grams (Beef, Lamb)*
Chicken 10 grams
Pork: 10 gms
Turkey and Fowl 5 grams
Fish 3 grams


I have a formula: 15, 10, 5 means Red Meats 15 grams, Chicken and Foul 10 gms and Fish dishes 5 gms. When these dishes are cooked and served that is what you have on the plate in one serving. Allow 20% plus-minus.

Roughly one serving of 3.5 oz is the size of a deck of cards or the size and thickness of your palm.

Milk and Milk Products: Another source of dangerous Saturated Fats but be smart and get the fat out and enjoy the dairy.

Whole Milk 7 gms (1cup)B
2% Milk 5 gms
1% Milk 2 gms
1/2% Milk 1 gm or less
Skimmed Milk 0 gms


Message: Don't remember any of the above figures, just say "I am not going to touch anything more than 1% milk. Skimmed or 1/2% is even better but tasteless. Remember Milk is a good source of Protein too.

Eggs: White is all protein and Yellow, all fat and cholesterol!

Cheeses, Yogurt, Buttermilk, Ice Creams: Wonderful things in life as long as you make them with 1% milk or buy low Fat or even Fat free from the store. I consume all sorts of these dairy products as long as the total fat per serving is less than 2.5 gms. There is a lot of good stuff out there. Read the label. You make your own also.

Butter: Really bad, almost all saturated Fat probably, be smart and buy products like "I can't believe it's not butter" which is 37% vegetable oil spread. I think Lee Iococca uses that a lot. 1 tablespoon of regular butter has 10 gms fat, low fat butters are 5 gms in the same amount.

Nuts are mostly unsaturated and are OK in small amounts, I think.

Margarines and good Danish cheeses are naturally rich in saturated fat and are no, no for those who are at risk.

Vegetable Oils for Cooking: They are all perhaps same containing 15 gms of Fats in one Table spoon but most of it is unsaturated Fat which is not so bad. I cook about 4 to 6 servings in 1 tablespoon, so each serving has about 2 to 3 grams.

So if you restrict your fat intake to 20 to 25 gms a day, you will perhaps have to become a vegetarian (mostly). Use above information to count Fat grams. If you will become fat conscious you will become so good at counting grams that you can look at a platter in any restraunt and come up with a figure quickly Oh! 15 gms. of Fat.. and throw up.

Best Wishes from...Max...Next letter some ideas for cooking or buying a healthy heartsmart meal.

Questions and comments to Dancemax@aol.com, thank you.


This article is part of and should be seen in the frame context of Dancesport UK, Tid-bits