Expert: This Food May Add More Calories to Your Diet Than You Think
Comments from Clinical Professor and Chair for the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Mindy Haar, Ph.D., RDN, are featured in a Parade article about the ways consumers inadvertently overconsume calories. As Haar notes, one way that many people do this is by using too much olive oil, a healthier fat that still contains as many calories as less healthy saturated fats, clocking in at around 120 calories per tablespoon.
“Consumers are getting the message that mono-unsaturated fats are more healthful than saturated fats. They are switching to olive oil, adding avocado to their salads, and snacking on nuts,” explains Haar. “These are all great changes, especially when the new pattern replaces less healthful choices. However, one fact that consumers often miss is that all fats, no matter the type, provide nine calories per gram.”