Satisfying, flavorful, healthy foods include "good" fats such as canola and olive oil.

A school cafeteria might not be your first choice for an imaginative, tasty and healthy lunch. But diners at the Harvard School of Public Health get just that--thanks to a new menu developed by top nutrition expert Walter Willett, M.D.

From grilled salmon with ginger to wild mushroom burgers and pizza with whole-grain crust, the menu emphasizes whole grains and healthy fats. Contrary to most popular diets, which stress low- or no-fat foods, Willett wants people to eat fat--as long as it's the right kind.

Willett believes that Americans' obsession with low-fat foods has actually contributed to our expanding waistlines. What most people don't realize, he says, is that many low-fat foods are high in carbohydrates--and calories. And since fat-free foods generally are less satisfying than fatty foods, people end up snacking--and piling on calories.

Walter Willett is the author of the book Eat, Drink and Be Healthy.

In addition to being satisfying and adding flavor, some fats even have health benefits. Olive and canola oils, for instance, have been shown to reduce "bad" cholesterol and improve "good" cholesterol levels in the blood, and protect against dangerous heart arrhythmias. By adding back "good" fat to our diets and choosing whole grains over refined carbohydrates, Willett says we'd not only be more satisfied, we'd be healthier and thinner, too.

For more on this topic, see the web feature:
Science Hotline - Walter Willett
Computing Your BMI (Shockwave required)