Extract:
Fat for Fitness
After years of bad publicity it may sound absurd, but many dietitians are now extolling the virtues of consuming fat. According to Laurie Tansman, a nutritionist at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, fat “not only plays a vital role in the health of the membrane of every cell in our body, it also helps protect us from a number of key health threats.” Fat is a critical part of your necessary food intake, and it is generally recommended that 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat. Without it, your body would not be able to absorb or transport vitamins A, D, E, and K. Body temperature, hair follicles, and skin cells are all reliant upon the consumption of fats to function properly.
There is near-universal agreement that the healthiest fats are unsaturated fats. This list of healthy fats includes olive oil, sesame oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, and omega-3 fatty acids. These fats, when eaten in moderation, can lower cholesterol levels, thereby reducing your risk for heart disease.
Saturated fats are considered less healthy than unsaturated fats and should be consumed more sparingly. Most saturated fats are found in animal products, such as beef, pork, and chicken. The least healthy of all fats are trans-fatty acids, or trans fats. These fats can occur in small amounts naturally in animal products, but they are more commonly found as artificially produced oils used for frying foods or softening prepackaged snacks. These fats will increase your risk for heart disease; the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that you consume as few trans fats as possible.
What is the meaning of the word moderation as used in the second paragraph?
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A
Adequate amounts
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B
Intervals of time
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C
Excess
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D
Variation
In the nutritional context describing healthy fat consumption, moderation means adequate amounts, sufficient but not excessive intake aligned with health guidelines.
A) Adequate amounts
Adequate amounts precisely captures moderation's meaning in dietary contexts: consuming beneficial fats like olive oil in quantities sufficient for health benefits without excess. The phrase "when eaten in moderation" directly precedes the benefit statement "can lower cholesterol levels," establishing appropriate quantity as the condition for positive outcomes.
B) Intervals of time
Intervals concern temporal spacing, not quantity regulation. Moderation addresses how much to consume, not how frequently.
C) Excess
Excess represents the opposite of moderation, overconsumption rather than balanced intake. The passage advocates against excess specifically for saturated and trans fats.
D) Variation
Variation concerns diversity of types, not quantity regulation. While the passage lists multiple oil types, "moderation" specifically modifies consumption amount, not selection diversity.
Conclusion
Contextual analysis reveals moderation operates as a quantity regulator within nutritional guidance. Only "adequate amounts" captures this connotation of balanced intake sufficient for health benefits without crossing into excess, essential for realizing the cholesterol-lowering effects described.