The American Heart Association recommends a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet to maintain cardiovascular health. Too much fat in your diet can lead to high cholesterol levels, which in turn can lead to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer. Limit the fat and cholesterol in your diet, and enjoy the health benefits.
Limit Unhealthy Fats
Saturated fats, which raise the LDL, or bad, cholesterol in your body, are found in animal products, dairy foods and tropical vegetable oils like palm and coconut oils. Trans fats, also known as partially hydrogenated oils, are especially unhealthy. They raise bad cholesterol and lower good, or HDL, cholesterol. Food sources of trans fats include vegetable shortening, some margarine, snack foods, candies, fried foods, baked foods and many processed foods. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends limiting your intake of saturated fats to less than 10 percent of total daily calories, and keeping your daily trans fat intake as low as possible by removing or replacing food items that contain trans fat. HelpGuide.org recommends limiting trans fats to less than 7 percent of daily calories.
Choose Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats can lower heart disease risk and are often used in Mediterranean diets, which are known to be hearty-healthy. Monounsaturated fats are found in canola oil, peanut oil, olive oil and avocado. Good sources also include almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.
Increase Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Polyunsaturated fats include healthy omega-3 fatty acids that your body needs, but cannot make. Fatty acids have health benefits, including limiting your risk of cardiovascular disease. Food sources include sunflower seeds and oil, flaxseed oil, corn oil, soybeans and walnuts. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as anchovies, mackerel, herring, salmon, lake trout and some canned albacore tuna. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor before adding fish to your diet, since mercury found in some fish can be harmful to the fetus.
Read Food Labels
Read food labels to identify the fat content. For instance, two slices of bacon have 100 calories and 10 g of fat; 90 percent of the calories are from fat, the numbers needed to determine your daily fat intake. Air-popped popcorn has only trace amounts of fat. Find the number of fat grams and calories from fat, and look for partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredients. Even if the label lists 0 trans fat, the food may have up to 0.029 g of trans fat.
Make Healthy Food Choices
Poultry and fish have less saturated fat than other meats. Eat beef, pork and lamb in moderation and choose lean cuts. Choose low-fat or skim milk and cheeses with low or no fat content, like mozzarella and cottage cheese. Choose yogurt or sherbet instead of ice cream. Limit bakery items, snack foods and premixed foods like pancake mix. If you use margarine, select a soft tub with 0 g of trans fat. Limit egg yolks and processed meats, like hot dogs, with high-fat content.
Use Reduced-Fat Products
Use reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free and "light" food products to further reduce your fat and cholesterol intake. These food choices can also lower your caloric intake. Choices include salad dressings, spreads, dairy foods and breads.
Food Preparation
Lower your fat intake by choosing healthier preparation methods. Bake, broil, roast or grill food instead of frying. Use a rack to drain fats and oils and choose wine or marinades for basting instead of oils. Use vegetable oil spray for browning or sautéing. Skim visible fats from foods like soups. Limit the amount of extra fat you add to foods, such as margarine on toast or mayonnaise on sandwiches.
