The Lowdown on Fat
We need some fat in our foods. A little fat helps keep us healthy and adds flavor to foods. The problem is that it is very easy to get too much fat. Too much fat can mean too many calories and lead to extra pounds to carry around. Certain kinds of fat are linked to heart disease.
Here are the basic facts about kinds of fat.
Saturated fat
What it does:
- Tends to raise blood cholesterol; linked to heart disease
Where it is found:
- whole milk, cream, and foods like butter or ice cream that are made with milk fat fatty meats, chicken skin, lard palm kernel oil, and coconut oil.
What you can do:
- You can reduce saturated fat by choosing low fat or skim milk and using less butter or cream. Trim any fat you can see from meat and eat fatty meats like sausages less often. Take the skin off of chicken. Read the ingredient list on packaged foods to see if they contain coconut oil or palm kernel oil.
Trans-Fatty Acids
What it does:
- Tends to raise blood cholesterol, which is bad for your heart.
Where it is found:
- hydrogenated vegetables oils, vegetable shortening, margarine.
What you can do:
- Use liquid oils instead of margarine or shortening whenever you can. Choose margarine that has zero trans-fatty acids in each serving. Read the ingredient list on packaged foods to find out if they have any hydrogenated oils in them.
Unsaturated Fat
What it does:
- Does not raise blood cholesterol; Monounsaturated fat may help protect your heart.
Where it is found:
- Vegetables oils, many types of nuts, some types of fish.
What you can do:
- Replace solid fats like butter with vegetable oils. To get more monounsaturated fat, choose olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, or peanut oil more often. Eat nuts and fish more often.
Remember: Fat is rich in calories. Take care not to eat too much of any fat. |
