While many people equate the word “fat” with "bad," that is not always the case. Certain fats, such as unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, are "good" fats and an important component of a healthy diet. Saturated fats and trans fats are the "bad" fats that you should limit in your diet. Nutritional information reveals the reasons why they are not considered beneficial to good health.
Saturated Fat
Chemically, saturated fat contains carbon atoms that are connected to, or saturated with, hydrogen atoms. Saturated fat causes your LDL, or "bad" cholesterol levels to rise, increasing your risk of heart disease. The more saturated fat you eat, the higher your cholesterol climbs. In general, saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Popular foods that contain saturated fat include beef, pork, poultry with the skin, butter, whole milk, cream and cheese. Saturated fat is also found in some plant foods, such as coconut, coconut oil and palm oil.
Saturated Fat Recommendations
The recommendations for saturated fat are based on your total calorie intake. For healthy individuals, the recommendation is less than 10 percent of calories. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, so for someone on a 2,000 calorie diet, this translates to less than 22 g per day. If you have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, your saturated fat intake should be less than 7 percent of calories, or less than 16 g per day for a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet.
Trans Fat
Trans fat is arguably the least desirable fat of all. Although some foods contain natural trans fat, most trans fat is produced in a laboratory by adding hydrogen to saturated fat, altering its chemical structure. Trans fats increase LDL cholesterol levels more significantly than saturated fats. In addition, trans fat also decreases HDL, or good, cholesterol levels. A high LDL level combined with a low HDL level significantly raises your heart disease risk.
According to the American Heart Association, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils provide about 75 percent of the trans fat in the American diet. These vegetable oils are commonly added to processed foods, commercially baked items and margarines. A small amount of trans fat is also found in beef, pork, lamb, butter and milk.
Trans Fat Recommendations
Although it is best to eliminate trans fat from your diet, the current recommendation is less than 1 percent of calorie intake. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this translates to less than 2 g of trans fat per day.
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