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Choose a diet low
in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
Some dietary fat is needed for good
health. Fats supply energy and essential fatty acids and promote absorption of
the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Most people are aware that high levels
of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet are linked to increased blood
cholesterol levels and a greater risk for heart disease. More Americans are now
eating less fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol-rich foods than in the recent
past, and fewer people are dying from the most common form of heart disease.
Still, many people continue to eat high-fat diets, the number of overweight
people has increased, and the risk of heart disease and certain cancers (also
linked to fat intake) remains high. This guideline emphasizes the continued
importance of choosing a diet with less total fat, saturated fat, and
cholesterol.
Foods high in fat should be used
sparingly
Some foods and food groups in the Food
Guide Pyramid are higher in fat than others. Fats and oils, and some types of
desserts and snack foods that contain fat provide calories but few nutrients.
Many foods in the milk group and in the meat and beans group (which includes
eggs and nuts, as well as meat, poultry, and fish) are also high in fat, as
are some processed foods in the grain group. Choosing lower fat options among
these foods allows you to eat the recommended servings from these groups and
increase the amount and variety of grain products, fruits, and vegetables in
your diet without going over your calorie needs.
Choose a diet low in fat
Fat, whether
from plant or animal sources, contains more than twice the number of calories
of an equal amount of carbohydrate or protein. Choose a diet that provides no
more than 30 percent of total calories from fat. The upper limit on the grams
of fat in your diet will depend on the calories you need. Cutting back on fat
can help you consume fewer calories. For example, at 2,000 calories per day,
the suggested upper limit of calories from fat is about 600 calories.
Sixty-five grams of fat contribute about 600 calories (65 grams of fat x 9
calories per gram = about 600 calories). On the Nutrition Facts Label, 65
grams of fat is the Daily Value for a 2,000-calorie intake.
Choose a diet low in saturated fat
Fats contain both saturated and
unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) fatty acids. Saturated fat
raises blood cholesterol more than other forms of fat. Reducing saturated fat
to less than 10 percent of calories will help you lower your blood cholesterol
level. The fats from meat, milk, and milk products are the main sources of
saturated fats in most diets. Many bakery products are also sources of
saturated fats. Vegetable oils supply smaller amounts of saturated fat. On the
Nutrition Facts Label, 20 grams of saturated fat (9 percent of caloric intake)
is the Daily Value for a 2,000-calorie diet.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
fat. Olive and canola oils are particularly high in monounsaturated fats;
most other vegetable oils, nuts, and high-fat fish are good sources of
polyunsaturated fats. Both kinds of unsaturated fats reduce blood cholesterol
when they replace saturated fats in the diet. The fats in most fish are low in
saturated fatty acids and contain a certain type of polyunsaturated fatty acid
(omega-3) that is under study because of a possible association with a
decreased risk for heart disease in certain people. Remember that the total
fat in the diet should be consumed at a moderate level -- that is, no more
than 30 percent of calories. Mono- and polyunsaturated fat sources should
replace saturated fats within this limit.
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils,
such as those used in many margarines and shortenings, contain a particular
form of unsaturated fat known as trans-fatty acids that may raise blood
cholesterol levels, although not as much as saturated fat.
Choose a diet low in cholesterol
The body makes the
cholesterol it requires. In addition, cholesterol is obtained from food.
Dietary cholesterol comes from animal sources such as egg yolks, meat
(especially organ meats such as liver), poultry, fish, and higher fat milk
products. Many of these foods are also high in saturated fats. Choosing foods
with less cholesterol and saturated fat will help lower your blood cholesterol
levels. The Nutrition Facts Label lists the Daily Value for cholesterol
as 300 mg. You can keep your cholesterol intake at this level or lower by
eating more grain products, vegetables and fruits, and by limiting intake of
high cholesterol foods.
Advice for children
Advice in the previous sections does not
apply to infants and toddlers below the age of 2 years. After that age,
children should gradually adopt a diet that, by about 5 years of age, contains
no more than 30 percent of calories from fat. As they begin to consume fewer
calories from fat, children should replace these calories by eating more grain
products, fruits, vegetables, and lowfat milk products or other calcium-rich
foods, and beans, lean meat, poultry, fish, or other protein-rich foods.
ADVICE FOR TODAY
To reduce your intake of fat, saturated
fat, and cholesterol, follow these recommendations, as illustrated in the Food
Guide Pyramid, which apply to diets consumed over several days and not to single
meals or foods.
- Use fats and oils sparingly.
- Use the Nutrition Facts Label to help
you choose foods lower in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
- Eat plenty of grain products,
vegetables, and fruits.
- Choose lowfat milk products, lean
meats, fish, poultry, beans, and peas to get essential nutrients without
substantially increasing calorie and saturated fat intakes.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
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