General Electric : My Health : Learn the Fat Facts

Monounsaturated Fat	Polyunsaturated Fats
Should be primary source of fat Extra virgin olive oil Canola oil Peanut oil Most nuts Avocado Olives Humus and tahini	*Omega 3* Twice a week Fish-based oils (salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, albacore tuna) Walnuts Ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil Pursulane Omega 6 Limit, don’t eliminate Safflower oil Sunflower oil Corn oil Soybean oil Cottonseed oil Seeds
Saturated Fat	Trans Fat
Limit to less than 20g per day. Less than 10g, if you have heart disease Meat Dairy (butter, whole milk, 2% milk, cream, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and sour cream) Palm and coconut oil Lard	Do not eat Look for“Hydrogenated Oils” in the ingredient list and avoid. Hard magarines Vegetable shortening Deep fried foods Baked goods (cookies, muffins, pastries, cake) Crackers, some chips or microwave popcorn Cake frosting Commercial peanut butter

Remember that all fats (whether they are heart healthy or not) are dense in calories. If you are watching your weight and calorie intake, watch your portions of all fats.

Learn to count grams of saturated fat
As a general rule, for the prevention of heart disease, limit saturated fat to 20 grams or less per day. People with heart disease should keep daily saturated fat intake below 10 grams.

Step #1:
Check label for saturated fat. Look at the serving size of the food. If you have more than one serving, multiply the number of servings by the number of grams of saturated fat. For example, if you eat 2 servings of a food that has 5 grams of saturated, you will be eating 10 grams of saturated fat.

Step #2: If there is no label on the food, become familiar with which foods contain saturated fats.

8 oz (237 mL) glass of whole milk: 5g Sat Fat
1 tablespoon heavy cream: 3g Sat Fat
1 tablespoon butter: 7g Sat Fat
3 oz (85 g) skinless white chicken: 1g Sat Fat
3 oz (85 g) dark meat chicken: 2g Sat Fat
3 oz (85 g) lean pork: 4g Sat Fat
3 oz (85 g) marbled steak or roast: 4 to 11g Sat Fat
Hot dog: 5 to 11g Sat Fat
Double 1/4 lb. cheeseburger: 20g Sat Fat
1 cup (212 g) rich vanilla ice cream: 22g Sat Fat

Use books or the Internet to help you find the saturated fat in other foods.

Learn to avoid trans fat
Get used to looking on a food label to identify how much trans fat it contains. There is no set limit on trans fat, but you should aim to eat as little as possible.

Step #1:
Become familiar with which foods contain trans fat. Avoid commercial baked goods unless you can confirm that they are trans fat free. Avoid fast foods unless you know they are trans fat free.

Step #2:
On a food label, look right below “Saturated Fat” and you will see how many grams of trans fat the product contains. One thing to note is that if a food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, the food manufacturers are allowed to list it as “0” grams of trans fat on the label. However, if these foods are eaten frequently or in large quantities a person may consume a more significant amount of these harmful fats. It is also good to glance through the ingredient list to see if the food contains any “hydrogenated oils” which is another term for trans fat.

Learn how to get enough Omega-3 fat in your diet
Include oily deep sea, cold-water fish (salmon, sardines, bluefish, herring, mackerel, albacore tuna) in your diet twice per week. Pregnant women and young children should avoid some types of fish because of high levels of methyl-mercury. Fish with higher levels of methyl-mercury are larger, predatory fish such as shark, tilefish, king mackerel and swordfish. Read the Environmental Protection Agency advisory. For plant-based omega-3, sprinkle walnuts and or ground flaxseed on cereal or fruit salads.

Learn how to love a monounsaturated rich Mediterranean style of eating
The Mediterranean style of eating includes plentiful fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains. Olive oil is the principal fat. Lean red meat, in small portions, is consumed once or twice a month. Low to moderate consumption of other animal products such as dairy, fish and lean meats is part of the Mediterranean style. Visit the OLDWAYS website, select “Traditional Diet Pyramids, Mediterranean” and choose “Mediterranean Diet Pyramid Poster” for an attractive Mediterranean Diet poster.