Cholesterol is only found in foods that come from animals. Thus, there is zero cholesterol in fruits, vegetables, grains and beans while it exists in varying quantities in fish, meats, poultry and dairy products. Saturated fat is far more unhealthy than unsaturated fat, and animal products have far more saturated fats than non-animal foods.
Warning About Cholesterol
Cholesterol in foods is dangerous. People shouldn't eat food with more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day. Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease reports that a study of 1,824 middle-aged men in Chicago over 25 years by Northwestern University concluded there is a correlation between consumption of food with cholesterol and early death from all causes, including heart attacks and stroke. "Cholesterol-rich foods promote heart disease even in people with low blood cholesterol," said Dr. Jeremiah Stamler of Northwestern. The research was published by "The Journal of the American Medical Association" (JAMA) in 1986.
Kinds of Fat
There is nine calories in 1 gram of fat, but only four calories in 1 gram of carbohydrates and protein. There are three kinds of fat in foods: saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat. Each has the same amount of calories. The fats differ based on chemistry. They all carry hydrogen, but monounsaturated fats have one fewer atom than saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats have two or more fewer atoms than saturated fats, according to Essentials for Health and Wellness.
Significance of Fats
Saturated fat is converted to cholesterol in the body. Nutritionists recommend limiting foods with saturated fat to 10 percent of daily calorie intake. Saturated fats are found in meats, dairy products, egg yolks, chocolate, coconut and palm oils, margarine and hydrogenated vegetable shortenings. Polyunsaturated fats are much healthier because they reduce all cholesterol levels, according to "Controlling Cholesterol." These kinds of fats are in fatty fish, corn, soybeans and sesame seed oils. Monounsaturated fats are even healthier because they reduce total and bad cholesterol, but do not reduce good cholesterol. They are found in nuts and olive oil.
Oils Are All Fat
All oils in food are 100 percent fat and have some saturated fat. One tablespoon of olive oil has 9.8 grams of monounsaturated fat, 1.9 grams of saturated fat and 1.2 grams of polyunsaturated fat. A tablespoon of coconut oil has 11.7 grams of saturated fat, 0.8 grams of monounsaturated fat and 1.2 grams of polyunsaturated fat. Based on the recommendations of Ornish and "Controlling Cholesterol," olive oil is the healthiest of the nine most commonly used oils followed by canola, peanut, safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, cottonseed and coconut.
Recommendations on Fat
According to "The New Pritikin Program," 43 percent of fat in the American diet comes from refined fats and oils, 38 percent comes from meats and nuts, 15 percent comes from eggs and dairy and 4 percent comes from vegetables, fruits and grains. Pritikin advises people to get 67 percent of their fat from fruits and vegetables, 25 percent from fish, poultry and lean meat; 8 percent from dairy and 0 from refined fats and oils.
References
- Controlling Cholesterol; Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper; 1989
- Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease; Dr. Dean Ornish; 1996
- The New Pritikin Program; Robert Pritikin; 1990
