Eating saturated fats raises cholesterol levels, and a diet high in saturated fats increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends eating only 7 percent or less of total daily calories in foods high in saturated fat, while the U.S. National Institutes of Health advises 10 percent or less. For a 2000 calorie per day diet, for instance, an individual would eat no more than 20 grams of saturated fat per day for 9 percent of caloric intake, as explained by Health.gov. Saturated fats are primarily found in fatty meat and other animal products, which should be avoided in a low-fat diet.
Meat
Certain types of meat are much higher in saturated fat than others. Bacon has 13.74 grams of saturated fat per 100 g (about 3.5 oz) of food, as listed by the Dietary Fiber Food website charts. Pork ribs and beef ribs also are above 10 g, while pork sausage has over 5 g. Regular ground beef and corned beef have over 5 g saturated fat per 100 g of food. Fried chicken wings with the skin do as well. Choosing lean meats makes a significant difference. A roasted ham with lean meat only, for instance, has 1.84 g compared to non-lean at nearly 6 g.
Fish
Even the highest-fat types of fish are lower in saturated fat compared to most meat, such as fresh salmon at 2.1 g, herring at 1.7 g and canned tuna at 1.4 g saturated fat per a 3-oz. serving. Mackerel is an exception, at 3.5 g.
Dairy and Eggs
Certain dairy products are high in saturated fat. These include whole milk, whole-milk cheese, cream, ice cream, whole milk sour cream and butter. One cup of whole milk contains about 4.5 g of saturated fat, while a cup of whole-milk yogurt contains 5 g of saturated fat. Egg yolks are high in saturated fat also, but the whites are not.
Oils
Butter contains 7 g of saturated fat per tbsp., and several oils from plants also are high in saturated fat. These include coconut oil at 12 g per tbsp., palm oil at 7 g, and cocoa butter at 8 g per tbsp., which makes chocolate also high in saturated fat.
Processed Foods
Many processed foods are high in saturated fat, and the amount of saturated fat per serving is listed under total fats on the labeling. Items that may be high in saturated fat include gravy, cream sauces, pot pies, soups, stews and bakery items made with lard, butter or whole milk.
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