Low-Fat Eating

When you think of fat, you probably think of greasy things like salad dressing and butter. But there's fat in almost all foods. Some fat you can see, like the fat on meat. Some fat is hidden, like the fat in cheese, chocolate and bakery goods.

How much fat do you eat?

Think about the foods you like to eat. How many of the statements below apply to you?

• You hide your salad under the dressing.

• Your pizza isn't ready to go without extra cheese.

• You can't drink coffee without half-and-half or nondairy creamer.

• Your baked potato becomes a sponge for butter and sour cream.

• Your favorite way to eat fruit is in pie or ice cream.

• You can't watch TV without a bag of nuts, chips, cookies, or chocolates.

• You never pass up a doughnut or a sweet roll.

• Life wouldn't be worth living without cheeseburgers and french fries.

The more statements that are true for you, the higher your diet is in fat. Learning to eat less fat can be better for your health.

Why eat fat?

Fat is essential for many of the body’s functions. It helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D and K. Fat is an important energy source for the body. One gram of fat from food provides 9 calories (carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram). When you eat more calories than you can use, your body stores the excess calories as body fat. One pound of body fat equals about 3,500 excess calories.  

Kinds of fat

Two kinds of fat in food are linked to heart disease: dietary fat and dietary cholesterol. Dietary fat comes in three forms: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends that you limit your intake of fat to no more than 30 percent of your total calories.

Dietary fats

Saturated fat is solid at room temperature. It is found in animal foods such as cheese, whole milk, cream, butter, ice cream, fatty meats, chicken and turkey skin, lard, palm oil and coconut oil. Eating a lot of saturated fat raises the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood. The ADA recommends that you limit the amount of saturated fat in your diet to 7 to 10 percent of your total calories.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are both unsaturated fat. They are liquid at room temperature. Polyunsaturated fats are found in oils such as safflower, sunflower, corn and soybean, and in seafood. Monounsaturated fats are found in oils such as olive, canola and peanut. (Not all oils are made of healthy fats: Coconut, palm and palm kernel oils contain saturated fats.) The ADA recommends that you limit your intake of monounsaturated fats to 10 to 15 percent of your total calories and your intake of polyunsaturated fats to about 10 percent.

Another type of fat, found in processed foods, is trans fatty acid. This type of fat is formed when vegetable oil is hydrogenated, or turned from a liquid into a solid. This type of fat can raise your LDL cholesterol levels and lower your HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Trans fat is found in fried foods, commercial baked goods such as cookies and crackers, processed foods and margarines.

Cholesterol

Dietary cholesterol is found in foods that come from animals, but it is also made by your body. Cholesterol is important for many body functions, but if you have too much cholesterol in your blood, cholesterol and fat can stick to your artery walls, causing them to become narrower, restricting blood flow. Eating foods that contain saturated fat and trans fat can raise cholesterol levels in your blood.

Cholesterol in your blood is made of fats (lipids) and proteins, together called lipoproteins. High density lipoprotein (HDL) is "good," because it helps keep fats from collecting on the artery walls. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) is "bad," because it builds up on artery walls. The type of fats and oils and the amount of cholesterol in your diet can control LDL levels. The ADA recommends that you limit your daily intake of cholesterol to less than 300 mg.

Fat and body weight

Because fat is high in calories (9 calories per gram), eating too much fat -- no matter which type of fat -- can make you gain weight. People who are overweight run a greater risk for developing high blood pressure and diabetes. Cutting down on fat can help you control your weight and stay healthier.

Low-fat choices

Reducing the amount of fat you eat can help you stay healthier and control your weight. You can use the nutrition labels on foods you buy to compare the fat. The nutrition label may not include the percentage of fat in a food, but you can figure it out easily. You divide the number of calories from fat by the total number of calories and then multiply by 100.

Calories from fat    x 100 = percent of fat

  Total calories

Here's an example: A particular serving of food contains 300 calories, with 60 of those calories from fat. You divide 60 by 300, and then divide by 100. The result tells you that the food gets 20 percent of its calories from fat.

Here are things to keep in mind when choosing the foods you eat:

• Eating too many foods high in saturated fat may increase your blood levels of LDL and total cholesterol. High blood levels of LDL and total cholesterol are risk factors for heart disease.

• Eating foods high in monounsaturated fatty acids may help lower LDL cholesterol levels and decrease the risk for heart disease.

• Eating polyunsaturated fats in place of saturated fats decreases LDL cholesterol levels.

• Trans fatty acids act like saturated fats and raise LDL cholesterol levels. They may also lower HDL cholesterol in the blood.

Tips to reduce fat in your diet

You can cut down on fat and still enjoy the foods you eat. Choose more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole-grain breads and cereals. Limit the amount of prepared foods, fast foods and bakery goods you eat. Here are more tips to help you eat better:

• Use herbs or butter substitutes on vegetables and low-fat or nonfat dressings on salads.

• Try cooking sprays instead of butter, margarine or oil to prepare foods and prevent sticking.

• Replace butter on toast, pancakes and waffles with jam or fruit spreads.

• Buy lean meat and trim off all visible fat before cooking.

• Remove skin from poultry and fish.

• Choose low-fat dairy products such as 1 percent or nonfat milk, nonfat yogurt and low-fat or nonfat cheese. Use 2 percent or 1 percent milk instead of dairy creamer in coffee or tea.

• When you want something sweet, choose angel food cake, nonfat frozen yogurt or fruit ices.