The Skinny on Dietary Fats

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Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are found in meat, poultry, full-fat dairy products and tropical oils. These fats can increase both your total cholesterol and your “lousy cholesterol” levels. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that we limit our intake of saturated fats to less than 10 percent of our total daily calories. Sources of saturated fats include:

Lard

Butter
Meat fat
Dairy products made from whole milk
Chicken and turkey skins
Palm and palm kernel oils
Coconut oil
Cocoa butter

Unsaturated Fats

There are two types of unsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Monounsaturated fats reduce total cholesterol levels while maintaining your “healthy cholesterol” levels. This type of fat is a major component of the Mediterranean diet, which has received a lot of press lately. The AHA recommends that 10 to 15 percent of our total daily calories come from monounsaturated fats. They can be found in the following vegetable oils:

Canola oil
Olive oil
Peanut oil

Polyunsaturated fatty acids also help to reduce total cholesterol levels; however, they also lower your “healthy cholesterol” levels. The AHA recommends that we get no more than 10 percent of our total daily calories from polyunsaturated fats. This type of fat is found in nuts and vegetable oils. Sources of polyunsaturated fats include:

Corn oil
Cottonseed oil
Safflower oil
Sesame oil
Soybean oil
Sunflower oil

Trans Fats

Trans fat is not a naturally occurring substance. It is created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, which is a liquid, to create a solid substance. Once considered to be a healthy substitute for saturated fat, recent research has proven quite the opposite to be true. Trans fat has been found to raise cholesterol levels, and has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. It can be found in foods such as vegetable shortening, some margarines, crackers, candies, baked goods, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, salad dressings and many processed foods. To determine whether a food item you are eating contains trans fat look for the following ingredients on the food label: