The Best Sources of Monounsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated fats, or omega-9 fatty acids, are heart healthy. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that you keep your total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of daily calories, with the majority of fats consumed coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Foods rich in monounsaturated fats include nuts, oils, fish and other plant foods.

Vegetable Oils and Nuts

Many vegetable oils are rich in monounsaturated fats (also known as oleic acid). Those that offer the highest monounsaturated fatty acid content include high-oleic sunflower or safflower oil, as well as hazelnut, olive, canola, avocado, almond, peanut, corn, sesame, rice bran, soybean and cod liver oils. Soft tub margarine-like spreads made mostly from olive or canola oils are also rich in monounsaturated fats. Hazelnuts (or filberts), macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios and cashews are rich food sources of monounsaturated fats. Thus, cashew and almond butter are also rich in this heart-healthy fat.

Fruits, Legumes, and Seeds

Only two fruits--avocados and olives--are rich sources of monounsaturated fats. They each provide roughly 10 g of monounsaturated fat per 100-g serving. Peanuts are the legume that is richest in monounsaturated fats. Peanut butter is also an excellent food source of this fat. Sesame seeds, as well as sesame seed butter or paste (also known as tahini), is high in monounsaturated fatty acids. Sunflower seeds (and sunflower seed butter), pumpkin and flaxseeds provide some monounsaturated fat.

Fish and Other Foods

Most fish are high in polyunsaturated fats (specifically omega-3 fatty acids). However, several varieties of fish offer appreciable amounts of monounsaturated fat. These include Atlantic pickled herring, halibut, sablefish and mackerel. The only breakfast cereal considered to be a very good food source of monounsaturated fat is ready-to-eat, commercially prepared granola. Butter, eggs and many varieties of cheese, such as Roquefort, muenster, Monterey jack, Parmesan, Cheshire, cream and limburger, are good food sources of monounsaturated fat.