WHAT'S YOUR DIETARY FAT I.Q.?

These days, most of us are watching our diets and paying particular attention to the fats we consume. This questionnaire will measure your fat I.Q. and may help to answer some questions and concerns. The answers are based on the latest scientific information available.

1. The typical American diet contains what percentage of fat? (a)38% (b)28% (c)18%

2. The Surgeon General's office has determined that a healthy proportion of total calories from fat in the American diet would be: (a)40% (b)30% (c)20%

3. Monounsaturated fat in your diet is better for you than saturated fat. True _____ False _____

4. Free radicals, products of oxidation and instability, cause rancidity and are injurious to your health. Monounsaturated fats tend to be more stable than polyunsaturated fats. True _____ False _____

5. Which oil is more monounsaturated? (a) olive (b) canola (c) macadamia

6. Monounsaturated fats are believed to lower LDL (the bad) cholesterol while maintaining, or even raising, the HDL (the good) cholesterol. True _____ False _____

7. Too much Omega-6 fat in the diet may be associated not only with cardiovascular disease, but also with certain cancers and arthritis. True _____ False _____

8. Omega-3 fats that typically come from fish oils are abundant in the American diet. True _____ False _____

9. Most cooking oils like corn, soybean, sunflower and peanut contain a high percentage of Omega-6 fat. True _____ False _____

10. What new cooking/salad oil is 80% monounsaturated, is 1 to 1 Omega-3 to Omega-6 and has a smoke point of 389°F. Safflower ____ Palm ____ Sunflower ____ Sesame ____ Soybean ____ Corn ____ Peanut ____ Macadamia ____ Coconut ____

Hawaiian Macadamia Nuts ..... an unexpected source for a new, exceptionally healthful cooking and salad oil. We've known for years that macadamia nuts are delicious to eat, and now there's recent scientific evidence that the oil pressed from the nuts, used in cooking and salads, offers a bounty of special benefits for our physical health as well.

Hawaiian macadamia nut oil is 80% monounsaturated - the highest percentage (and most beneficial for our health) among popular cooking oils. Olive oil is just 74% monounsaturated and canola is only 58%. In the "Mediterranean diet", in which monounsaturated fat is a standard component, there are far lower rates of heat disease, colon cancer and arthritis than in diets high in saturated fat (red meat, cheese, butter) and in polyunsaturated fats (corn, safflower, peanut oil).

The need to reduce total dietary fat is clear and having the choice of shifting to more monounsaturated fat is a good part of that program. Hawaiian macadamia nut oil has a favorable ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fats. Like fish oils having low Omega-6 and high Omega-3 content, Hawaiian macadamia nut oil exceeds even those favorable ratios in olive and canola oil. Omega-6 fats are so common in Western lifestyle diets, they're difficult to avoid. Replacing them with Omega-3 fats may dramatically improve our chances of avoiding the dietary causes of diseases associated with saturated fat consumption.

Macadamia nut oil has not only a very high smoke point, it also has excellent flavor retention. At 389°F., Hawaiian macadamia nut oil has a smoke point (the temperature at which an oil smokes and begins to deteriorate in flavor and quality) twice that of extra virgin olive oil and competes favorably with even peanut oil for sautéing and stir-frying. Also, while the flavor of extra virgin olive oil boils off at only about 170°F., Hawaiian macadamia nut oil retains its wonderful, nutty flavor and bouquet even up to its high smoke point - providing a margin of stability for the full range of common cooking temperatures. Its highly monounsaturated composition means its natural (and added Vitamin E) antioxidants, provide extra protection and a long shelf life without refrigeration.

Answers: 1.a 2.b 3.True 4.True 5.c 6.True 7.True 8.False 9.True 10.macadamia

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