Low-fat diets are very popular for people with heart conditions or those who are trying to lose weight. Some people even go as far as trying to eliminate all fat from their diets. Foods with unsaturated fats, however, can acually be healthy for the heart. Foods with saturated fats or trans fats can lead to health complications such as coronary heart disease and high cholesterol (see Reference 1). It is sometimes surprising to people to learn which foods are high in fats and which foods are not.
Whole Milk
Whole milk, sometimes called vitamin D milk, is often recommended for young children but is not usually recommended for adults because it is high in fat (see Reference 2). The type of fat in milk is mostly saturated, which can cause high cholesterol and obesity. There are 8g of total fat in each 8-ounce glass of milk, and of that amount, 5g is saturated fat.
Avocados
Most fruits are not high in fat. Avocados are an exception, because they are both a fruit and high in healthy fat. Each avocado has approximately 21g of total fat. The fat in avocados is mostly unsaturated, which can help lower cholesterol and help you feel full quicker.
Beef
All cuts of beef provide some saturated fat and most are high in total fat. The average 6-ounce sirloin steak, for example, has 11.2g of total fat and 4.2g of saturated fat. That provides roughly 17 percent of your daily total fat requirements. An 8-ounce T-bone steak has 16.8g of total fat and 6.4g of saturated fat.
French Fries
French fries are an American favorite and very high in fat. This is because they are cooked in hot oil, so that much of the fat from the oil is absorbed by the slices of potato. A small-size side of french fries from McDonalds has 11.5g of total fat and 1.6g of saturated fat. A king-size serving of Burger King's french fries has 28g of total fat and 6g of saturated fat.
Pastries
Pastries such as donuts, pan dulce, croissants or cheese filled danish pastries, are usually high in fat. A chocolate croissant has around 17g of total fat, while a cheese danish has 27g of total fat, 11g of saturated fat and 5g of trans fat. Trans fats are formed in the cooking process called hydrogenation, which is used in making many cooking oils and shortening used for pastries (see Reference 1).
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