What changes should I make to my diet?

Focus on replacing foods high in saturated fat with foods that include monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.

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 monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats instead of other types of fat, not in addition to them.

Here are some tips to help you make over the fat in your diet:

• To avoid trans fat, check food labels and look for the amount of trans fat listed. By law a serving of food containing less than 0.5 grams of trans fat can be labeled as 0 grams. Therefore, it's important to also check ingredient lists for the term "partially hydrogenated."
• Use oil instead of solid fats. For example, saute with olive oil instead of butter, and use canola oil when baking.
• Prepare fish, such as salmon and mackerel, instead of meat at least twice a week to get healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Limit sizes to 4 to 6 ounces of cooked seafood a serving, and bake or broil seafood instead of frying.
• Choose lean meat and skinless poultry. Trim visible fat from meat and poultry, and remove skin from poultry.
• Snack smart. Many popular processed snack foods are high in fat, especially solid fats. Be sure to check food labels for saturated fat. Better yet, snack on whole fruits and vegetables.