Limiting Fats

There are different types of fats in the foods we eat, some are healthy while others are not. Two fats to watch closely are saturated fats and trans fats.

Saturated fatty acids trigger the liver to make more total and LDL cholesterol; therefore, having a negative effect on your cholesterol levels.

In the body, man-made trans fats act like saturated fats and tend to raise blood cholesterol levels. Trans fatty acids may lower your good HDL cholesterol. Again, not good.

Many organizations have recommendations when it comes to trans fat in your diet.

The National Academy of Sciences, NAS, has recommended that trans fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend avoiding trans fat as much as possible by limiting foods that contain synthetic sources of trans fat.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting trans fat to no more than 1 percent of your total daily calories.

Trans Fat Sources
· Spreads: Margarine
· Packaged foods: Cake mixes, Bisquick
· Soups: Ramen noodles, soup cups
· Fast Food: Fries, chicken
· Frozen Food: Frozen pies, pot pies, waffles, pizzas, breaded fish sticks
· Baked Goods: Doughnuts, cookies, cakes from supermarket bakeries
· Chips and Crackers: potato chips, corn chips, buttery crackers
· Breakfast food: Breakfast cereal, energy bars
· Cookies and Candy
· Toppings and Dips: Nondairy creamers, flavored coffees, whipped toppings, bean dips, gravy mixes, salad dressings

Recommendations for saturated fat:

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendations are to consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids by replacing them with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The American Heart Association released their 2011 update to cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines recommending saturated fat intake be <7%/total energy intake.

Saturated Fat Sources
· Hydrogenated Oils: Palm, Coconut
· Dried Coconut: used in sweet confections like cakes and candy bars
· Butter
· Rendered Animal Fats: typically used to make burgers, meatballs, sausages, gravy, or fried foods
· Dark Chocolate
· Fish Oil
· Cheese
· Nuts and Seeds
· Processed Meats: like sausage
· Whipped Cream

Whether you are trying to lower your cholesterol or you are trying to eat healthier, it is a good idea to limit trans and saturated fats in your diet.  Reading labels and knowing those foods that contains these fats will be beneficial to your health and your heart.

References:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
http://www.eatright.org/