A healthy diet includes eating some fats and oils. However, too many fats or the wrong kinds of fats can increase your cholesterol and cause heart disease, according to the United State Department of Health and Human Services. Therefore, you need to learn what kinds of fats and how much fat to include in your diet.
Cholesterol
The waxy substance your body uses to make cell tissues, protect nerves and produce some hormones is known as cholesterol, according to FamilyDoctor.org. Your liver can produce enough cholesterol that you do not need to consume any dietary cholesterol. Doctors check your cholesterol levels through blood tests. LDL cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein, can build up in your arteries and cause heart disease. HDL cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein, helps prevent cholesterol from depositing in your arteries. The fats you eat as part of your daily diet play a role in the amounts of cholesterol you have in your blood stream.
Healthy Fats
Unsaturated fats help lower your blood cholesterol levels when used in place of saturated fat, making them healthy fats, according to the American Heart Association. Common forms of unsaturated fats include monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. You still need to limit your intake of these fats to less than 28 percent of your total calorie intake. Fats contain more than twice as many calories as proteins and carbohydrates and can cause you to gain weight.
Unhealthy Fats
Both saturated fats and trans fats can elevate your LDL cholesterol, making them unhealthy fats, according to MayoClinic.com. Dietary cholesterol can also elevate your blood cholesterol levels. The American Heart Association recommends that you limit your consumption of saturated fats to less than 7 percent of your daily calories, your trans fats to less than 1 percent of your daily calories and your cholesterol to less than 300 mg.
Foods to Avoid
To reduce cholesterol you need to avoid food sources of unhealthy fats. Limit your intake of saturated fats and cholesterol by limiting your intake of animal-based foods such as butter, dairy products, seafood, eggs and meat, advises MayoClinic.com. Oils such as palm oil, coconut oil and other tropical oils also contain large amounts of saturated fat. You can limit your trans fat intake by reducing or eliminating your use of partially hydrogenated oils, fried foods, commercial baked goods, margarine and shortening.
Tips to Meet Recommendations
The American Heart Association states that in order to reduce your fat intake, you should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, a variety of whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk products, legumes, lean meats and skinless poultry in your daily diet. You should also include fish in you diet twice a week. If you use fats and oils, choose liquid or tub margarines, canola oil, corn oil, safflower oil, soy bean oil or olive oil.
References
- Dr. David Caruso; Family Practitioner; St. Marys, Pennsylvania
- Family Doctor: Cholesterol
- Mayo Clinic: Dietary Fats
- American Heart Association: Fat
