Some high-fat foods, such as nuts, avocados and olives, are healthy, because they are rich in heart-healthy unsaturated fats and other essential nutrients. The worst fatty foods have cholesterol-raising saturated or trans fats, and they may also have other unhealthy components, such as sodium, added sugars, cholesterol or refined starches. If you find that you have too many of these foods in your diet, gradually replace them with nutrient-dense foods.
Fast Foods
Fast foods and similar choices from sit-down restaurants or the grocery store, are among the worst fatty foods in America because of their calories and unhealthy nutrients. Pizza, chicken dishes such as fried chicken, chicken sandwiches and patties, burgers and Mexican dishes such as nachos, tacos and burritos, are top contributors to total calories and saturated fat in the United States, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Snack Foods
Potato chips, corn chips and crackers are some of the worse fatty foods in the United States, because they often have trans fats from partially hydrogenated oil. Trans fats raise levels of bad LDL cholesterol in your blood, and they may be the worst kind of fats, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Many snack foods are major sources of empty calories from refined starches, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Chips and crackers are high in sodium, which may lead to high-blood pressure.
Desserts
Dairy desserts, such as ice cream, pudding and milkshakes, and grain-based desserts, such as cake, cookies, pies, pastries and sweet rolls, are some of the worst fatty foods, because together, they provide more than 15 percent of solid, unhealthy fats in the average American diet, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They are high in calories and added sugars, too. These fatty desserts are even worse when you eat them instead of healthy desserts, such as fresh fruit.
Meat and Cheese
Full-fat cheeses and fatty meats, such as bacon, sausage, steak and ribs, are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. They are major sources of calories, too. A high-sodium diet can raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke, and cheese and some meats are high in sodium. Fatty meats and cheeses may provide some essential nutrients, such as protein, iron or calcium, but better choices are lean meat, poultry, fish and reduced-fat dairy products.
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