Cholesterol isn't a
fat. Rather, it's a waxy, fat-like substance. Your body manufactures some
cholesterol. Your body also absorbs some dietary cholesterol — cholesterol
that's found in foods of animal origins, such as meat and eggs. Cholesterol is
vital because, among other important functions, it helps build your body's
cells and produces certain hormones. But your body makes enough cholesterol to
meet its needs — you don't need any dietary cholesterol.
Excessive cholesterol
in your diet can increase your unhealthy LDL cholesterol level, although not as
much as saturated fat does. This can increase your risk of heart disease and
stroke. Most foods that contain saturated fat also contain cholesterol. So
cutting back on these foods will help decrease both saturated fat and
cholesterol. The exception to this is tropical oils, which are high in
saturated fat but contain no cholesterol.
Recommendations for
fat intake
Because some dietary
fats are potentially helpful and others potentially harmful to your health, it
pays to know which ones you're eating and whether you're meeting national
recommendations. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by the
Department of Agriculture, offer recommendations about dietary fat intake.
Here's a look at the
recommendations and common sources of each type of dietary fat. Be aware that
many foods contain different kinds of fat and varying levels of each type. For
example, butter contains unsaturated fats, but a large percentage of the total
fat is saturated fat. And canola oil has a high percentage of monounsaturated
fat but also contains smaller amounts of polyunsaturated and saturated fat.
Recommendations for
dietary fat and cholesterol intake
|
Type of fat
|
Recommendation
|
Major food sources
|
Total fat
|
This includes all
types of dietary fat. Limit total fat intake to 20 to 35 percent of your
daily calories. Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, this amounts to about 44
to 78 grams of total fat a day.
|
Plant- and
animal-based foods.
|
Monounsaturated fat
|
While no specific
amount is recommended, the guidelines recommend eating foods rich in this
healthy fat while staying within your total fat allowance.
|
Olive oil, peanut
oil, canola oil, avocados, poultry, nuts and seeds.
|
Polyunsaturated fat
|
While no specific
amount is recommended, the guidelines recommend eating foods rich in this
healthy fat while staying within your total fat allowance.
|
Vegetable oils (such
as safflower, corn, sunflower, soy and cottonseed oils), nut oils (such as
peanut oil), poultry, nuts and seeds.
|
Omega-3 fatty acids
|
While no specific
amount is recommended, the guidelines recommend eating foods rich in this
healthy fat while staying within your total fat allowance.
|
Fatty, cold-water
fish (such as salmon, mackerel and herring), ground flaxseed, flax oil and
walnuts.
|
Saturated fat
|
Limit saturated fat
to no more than 10 percent of your total calories. Limit to 7 percent to
further reduce your risk of heart disease. Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day
diet, a 10 percent limit amounts to about 22 grams of saturated fat a day,
while 7 percent is about 15 grams. Saturated fat intake counts toward your
total daily allowance of fat.
|
Cheese, pizza,
grain-based desserts, and animal products, such as chicken dishes, sausage,
hot dogs, bacon and ribs. Other sources: lard, butter, and coconut, palm and
other tropical oils.
|
Trans fat
|
No specific amount
is recommended, but the guidelines say the lower the better. Avoid trans fat
from synthetic (processed) sources. It's difficult to eliminate all trans
fats because of their presence in meat and dairy foods. The American Heart
Association recommends limiting trans fat to no more than 1 percent of your
total daily calories. For most people, this is less than 2 grams a day.
|
Margarine, snack
foods and prepared desserts, such as cookies and cakes. Naturally occurring
sources include meat and dairy products.
|
Cholesterol
|
Less than 300
milligrams a day. Less than 200 milligrams a day if you're at high risk of
cardiovascular disease.
|
Eggs and egg dishes,
chicken dishes, beef dishes and hamburgers. Other sources: Seafood, dairy
products, lard and butter.
|
Source: Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, 2010
Need help calculating
what your daily fat intake should be in grams? Multiply your daily total
calorie intake by the recommended percentage of fat intake. Divide that total
by 9, which is the number of calories in a gram of fat. For example, here's how
a 7 percent saturated fat limit looks if you eat 2,000 calories a day. Multiply
2,000 by 0.07 to get 140 calories. Divide 140 by 9 to get about 15 grams of
saturated fat.
What about very
low-fat diets?
If watching fat
content is a good strategy, is it even better to try to eliminate all fat from
your diet? Not necessarily. First, your body needs some fat — the healthy fats
— to function normally. If you try to avoid all fat, you risk getting
insufficient amounts of fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. Also,
in attempting to remove fat from your diet, you may wind up eating too many
processed foods touted as low-fat or fat-free rather than healthier and
naturally lower fat foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole
grains. Instead of doing away with fat in your diet, enjoy healthy fats in
moderation.
Tips for choosing the
best types of dietary fat
So now that you know
which types of dietary fat are healthy or unhealthy, and how much to include,
how do you adjust your diet to meet dietary guidelines?
First, focus on
reducing foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Then emphasize
food choices that include plenty of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) and
polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). But a word of caution — don't go overboard even
on healthy fats. All fats, including the healthy ones, are high in calories. So
consume MUFA-rich and PUFA-rich foods instead of other fatty foods, not in
addition to them.
Here are some tips to
help you make over the fat in your diet:
·
Read food labels and
ingredient lists and avoid products with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil
listed among the first ingredients.
·
Sauté with olive oil
instead of butter.
·
Use olive oil in salad
dressings and marinades. Use canola oil when baking.
·
Use egg substitutes
instead of whole eggs when possible.
·
Sprinkle slivered nuts
or sunflower seeds on salads instead of bacon bits.
·
Snack on a small
handful of nuts rather than potato chips or processed crackers. Unsalted
peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios are good choices.
·
Try nonhydrogenated
peanut butter or other nonhydrogenated nut-butter spreads. Spread them on
celery, bananas or whole-grain toast.
·
Add slices of avocado,
rather than cheese, to your sandwich.
·
Prepare fish such as
salmon and mackerel instead of meat twice a week. Limit sizes to 4 ounces of
cooked seafood per serving.
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