The news about dietary fats can be confusing. Sometimes it seems like the guidelines about good fats versus bad fats change by the day. That’s why it’s so important to get the facts. Educating yourself about the basics of dietary fats can help you figure out how much fat you should consume and give you a better idea of what to eat and what to avoid.
What is dietary fat?
Dietary fat is an essential nutrient our bodies need to work properly. In addition to providing energy, fats help maintain body temperature, insulate vital organs, and absorb many vitamins and minerals.
When it comes to making heart-healthy eating choices about fat, the first step is to understand the different types of dietary fats.
What are the types of fat in food?
Dietary fats are one of the four main types of nutrients, which also include proteins, carbohydrates, and water. Fats have a higher concentration of calories than the other nutrients.
Our diets contain four main types of fat:
- Saturated fats
- Trans fats
- Monounsaturated fats
- Polyunsaturated fats
What are saturated fats?
Saturated fats occur naturally in many foods. They are often called solid fats because they’re usually solid at room temperature. The majority come from animal sources, but some plant-based oils are high in saturated fat.
Foods that contain saturated fat include:
- Beef, pork, poultry with skin, lamb
- Cream, butter, lard
- Cheese, milk (whole, 2%), ice cream
- Baked goods
- Fried foods
- Palm oil, coconut oil
What are trans fats?
Trans fats occur naturally in some foods, but you’ll often find them in processed foods. Artificial trans fats are made when food suppliers add hydrogen to vegetable oils to make them more solid. The process is called partial hydrogenation.
Some food suppliers use trans fats because they’re easy to work with, inexpensive, and long lasting. Trans fats also give foods a desirable flavor and texture. Fast-food chains use oils with trans fats in deep-fryers because they can use the oil over and over again.
It’s not always easy to tell if a packaged food contains trans fats. Nutrition Facts panels can list foods as containing “0 grams of trans fats” as long as they contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving. But you can spot trans fats by looking for “partially hydrogenated oils” on the ingredients list. Any packaged food that contains partially hydrogenated oils contains trans fats.
Foods that contain trans fats include:
- Fried foods
- Baked goods, biscuits
- Cookies, cakes, doughnuts, pie crusts
- Frozen pizza
- Crackers, microwave popcorn
- Stick margarines
- Icings
What are unsaturated fats?
Unsaturated fats are the good fats to include in your diet and are typically found in plant-based foods and oils. They’reusually liquid at room temperature but start to turn solid when chilled. There are two types of unsaturated fat, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.
Healthy foods and oils that contain monounsaturated fats include:
- Extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil
- Avocados
- Peanut butter and nut butters
- Nuts and seeds
Healthy foods and oils that contain polyunsaturated fats include:
- Soybeans, soybean oil
- Corn oil, sunflower oil
- Walnuts
- Sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds
- Tofu
What’s the recommended daily intake of fat?
The American Heart Association recommends healthy adults limit dietary fat to no more than 20 to 35 percent of total daily calories. For example, if you eat 2,000 calories a day, 400 to 700 calories can come from dietary fat—or about 44 to 78 grams of fat per day.
How much saturated fat per day?
Eating foods that contain saturated fats can raise your LDL cholesterol (or “bad” cholesterol) and increase your risk for heart disease and stroke. That’s why the American Heart Association encourages healthy adults to limit saturated fats and choose healthier options.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, we should consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats. If you eat 2,000 calories a day, that’s 200 calories—or about 22 grams of saturated fat per day.
However, if your doctor recommends you lower your cholesterol, the American Heart Association suggests further limiting your saturated fat intake to 5 to 6 percent of calories a day. If you eat 2,000 calories a day, that’s 120 calories—or about 13 grams of saturated fat per day.
How much trans fat per day?
Eating trans fats can raise your LDL cholesterol and lower your HDL cholesterol (or “good” cholesterol). Trans fats are also associated with a higher risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
To reduce the trans fats in your diet, cut back on foods that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and prepare lean meats and poultry without added trans fats.
Limiting saturated fats and trans fats
Consumed in moderation, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats can have a beneficial effect on your heart and improve your HDL cholesterol. The key is to replace the saturated fats and trans fats in your diet with foods higher in unsaturated fats.
Use the Nutrition Facts label to find out how much fat is in the foods you eat. Labels show the amount of total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat in one serving.
Foods that are rich in fat usually contain a combination of fatty acids, so it can be hard to eliminate just one type of fat from your diet.
Eat fats found in seafood and plant sources
Knowing what to eat and what to avoid can help you cut back on “bad” fats and add more “good” fats to your diet:
- Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables.
- Eat at least two servings of fish per week. Salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines, and albacore tuna are all good sources of essential omega-3 fatty acids. A serving is about 3.5 ounces of cooked fish.
- Choose skinless poultry and lean cuts of meat.
- Use natural vegetable oils, such as extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil, or sunflower oil.
- In recipes, use low-fat plain yogurt instead of cream or sour cream.
- Use soft margarine (liquid or tub varieties).
- Include almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, and sunflower seeds as part of a balanced diet. Nuts are high in calories, so watch your portion sizes.
Avoid fats from animal sources and highly processed foods
Foods to avoid include:
- Red meat and cuts of meat with visible fat
- Foods made with partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils
- Harder stick forms of margarine
- Baked goods made with shortening or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (doughnuts, cookies, crackers, muffins, pies, cakes)
- Fried foods (French fries, fried chicken)
- Processed foods that contain hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list
Fat can be part of a healthy diet
Paying attention to the type of fat you eat and cutting back on saturated fats can help keep you healthy. But it’s important to remember that fat is just one part of your overall diet. To protect your heart, focus on eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while lowering your calorie intake.
Additional source
Mayo Clinic, Dietary fat: Know which to choose