Let’s 'Unsaturate' the Fat Talk
Nicole Ruffing
Article Summary
The article “Let’s 'Unsaturate' the Fat Talk” come from U.S. News Health. The article was written by Megan Meyer on April 5, 2016. In this article, she aims at discussing the “science-based lowdown” on the facts about fat. The author opens with describing a recent experience in a grocery store where she took a look at a few magazines at the check out line. She explains that in all of those magazines, the main nutrition information was centered around fat and the best diets to banish fat or to stop feeling fat. She tells her readers that conversations about fat can become confusing, because although it is usually used in a negative fashion (i.e. to describe an appearance or feeling), it is still one of the three macronutrients we all need in our bodies.
Meyer describes the two different types of fats: saturated and unsaturated. She explains the differences between the two, saturated meaning full of hydrogen, no double bonds and solid at room temperature, and unsaturated being the complete opposite. She also describes the different types of unsaturated fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and the double bonds that make them distinguishable.
She then focuses on what kinds of fat should be consumed. She explains that instead of focusing on the total amounts of fat, we should focus on replacing the unhealthy fats with healthier fats. This means we should swap out the saturated fats with unsaturated fats instead. Meyer then goes on to explain all of the different food sources of unsaturated fats, including a wide variety of plant and animal sources.
If we use this approach, we can still enjoy a variety of different foods while still gaining the healthy benefits of fat.
Article Critique
Megan Meyer, the author of this article, holds a PhD and is the Manager of Nutrition Communications at the International Food Information Council. She works on developing educational materials and conversations regarding nutrition related issues. She trains in basic scientific research and communicates what she learns. She writes multiple news sources and publishes her works and findings so that others can enjoy and learn from her research-based facts and knowledge.
U.S. News, the source of this article is a privately owned multi-form publisher of news and information. It has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. In fact, U.S. News acquires a monthly audience of over 120 million views per page. With that being said, U.S. News is a very well-known news site, that many people look to for information about our daily lives. U.S. News is franchised with World Report which includes News You Can Use. This article, along with every other article specifically viewed from U.S. News, are well- written and include scientific evidence of the topic addressed. This author specifically includes studies from other organizations and links to research from other sites including the American Heart Association and the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines. This article is well-written in the sense that it is easily readable for all audiences. Although some bigger words are used, she does a great job of explaining what the word means and in some cases, provides a link to explain it even further. As for the conclusion, I would rate it strong and well-defined. It summarizes the key point that was addressed in this article and gives the reader the overall main point in a few sentences. It makes the message loud and clear and formulates a good ending to the information learned.
References
Meyer, Megan. (2016, April 5). Let’s 'Unsaturate' the Fat Talk. U.S. News & World Report.
Retrieved from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2016-04-05/lets-unsaturate-the-fat-talk