Dietary fat: Know which to choose
Healthier dietary fat
What changes should I make to my diet?
What about very low-fat diets?
Unhealthy fats
Healthier fats
Recommendations for fat intake
The facts about fat
Saturated fat
Unsaturated fat
Don't go to extremes
Saturated fats in food
Monounsaturated fats in food
Polyunsaturated fats in food
Trans fats in food
How can I start eating healthier?
Content
Why does the body need fat?
Types of fat
Fats and health
Fat and disease
Should you choose low-fat or fat-free foods?
Reading labels
How do you get started replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats?
Saturated fat
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting saturated fat to less than 10% of calories a day. The American Heart Association recommends staying under 7% of daily calories.
Why? Because saturated fat tends to raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in the blood. High cholesterol levels can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Saturated fat occurs naturally in red meat and dairy products. It's also found in baked goods and fried foods.
Trans fat occurs naturally in small amounts in red meat and dairy products. Trans fat can also be manufactured by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil.
This artificial form of trans fat is known as partially hydrogenated oil. It has unhealthy effects on cholesterol levels and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. For this reason, partially hydrogenated oil can no longer be added to foods in the U.S.
