ARIZONA COOP E R AT I V E
E TENSION
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
AZ1452
05/08
Healthy Fats
Guide for Improving the Quality of Fat Intake
“Dos” and “Tips” to consider when
choosing healthy fats for your diet
Do choose olive, canola, or vegetable oils for
cooking
• Mono- and poly- unsaturated fats may help lower LDL
(bad) cholesterol and decrease risk of heart disease.
• Monounsaturated fats lower LDL cholesterol, while
increasing HDL (good) cholesterol.
• Polyunsaturated fats lower LDL and HDL cholesterol, so
choose monounsaturated fats first.
• Olive, canola and peanut oils are high in
monounsaturated fats, and safflower, sunflower, and
corn oils contain more polyunsaturated fats.
Tip: Serve plain or add your favorite chopped fresh herbs or
garlic to olive oil for an alternative to butter for bread.
Do eat less saturated fat
• Foods high in saturated fat increase blood cholesterol
levels, which can increase the risk of heart disease.
• Diets high in saturated fat may increase the risk of
various cancers (i.e. colorectal, breast, prostate).
• Saturated fat comes mostly from food of animal origin,
such as beef, pork, whole or reduced fat milk, cheese,
butter and egg yolk. Some vegetable oils like coconut and
palm oil are also, high in saturated fat.
Tip: Add olives, avocados, nuts and seeds to salads and less
Do try to avoid trans fat
• Trans fats raise the risk of coronary heart disease by
increasing LDL levels and lowering HDL cholesterol.
• The main sources of trans fats in our diets come from
partially hydrogenated (hardened) oils, which are used
in some margarines and fried foods as well as processed
snack foods (cookies, crackers, chips, cakes, etc).
Tip: Read both the Nutrition Fact panel on food label and
ingredient lists. A food may contain 0.5 grams of trans fats or
less per serving and be listed as “zero” trans fats on its food
label. Check that hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils are not listed as ingredients before buying a
food product.
Do follow the guideline for fat intake
• All fats contain different amounts of saturated, monoand poly-unsaturated fats.
• The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for American recommend
keeping total fat between 20-35% of our total calories.
On a 2,000 calorie diet, about 30% or 600 calories (67g)
should come from total fat per day.
Tip: The dietary Guidelines recommend that saturated fats
be kept below 10% of total calories (20g for a 2,000 calorie
diet). The fat exchange list can help you to balance your
fat consumption to total calories by using serving sizes for
various fats. (See fat exchange list below)
cheese and meat.
Do try to consume fatty fish and fish oils
• Fish and fish oils contain omega-3 fats, which are
“essential” because our body can not make them on its
own.
• Omega-3 fats may be helpful in the prevention of heart
disease, high blood pressure and inflammatory diseases.
• A-3oz serving of fatty fish (salmon, trout, catfish,
mackerel) twice a week has the recommended amount of
omega-3 fats.
• Your twice-weekly fish should be grilled, baked or
broiled.
Tip: To increase plant sources of omega-3 fats, choose flaxseed
oil, flaxseeds (add to salad, cereal, yogurt), walnuts, canola oil,
and tofu.
Fat Facts
Everyone needs fats in a diet and “good” fats are essential
to our health. Fats provide and store energy in the body, keep
our skin soft, insulate our body, and transport fat soluble
vitamins through the blood.
Each serving listed below contains
5g fat = 45 calories per serving
Mono- and Poly-unsaturated Fats:
Spreads, oils and dressings:
Margarine (non-hydrogenated) Mayonnaise
Reduced-calorie mayonnaise
Corn, olive, safflower, soybean, sunflower, peanut oil
Salad dressing
Reduced-calorie salad dressing
1 tsp
1 tsp
1 Tbsp
1 tsp
2 tsp
2 Tbsp
Nuts and seeds:
Almonds (dry roasted)
Cashews (dry roasted)
Pecans
Peanuts (small)
Peanuts (large)
Sunflower seeds
6 nuts
1 Tbsp
2 nuts
20 nuts
10 nuts
1 Tbsp
Other:
Avocado (medium)
Olives (small)
Olives (large)
1/8 fruit
10 olives
5 olives
References
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department
of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2005). www.
healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines
American Diabetes Association and American Dietetic
Association. Exchange Lists for Meal Planning (2003).
American Dietetic Association. Nutrition Fact Sheet: Balancing
Calories and Optimizing Fats (2006). http://www.eatright.org/ada/
files/Hellmanns.pdf
“good” and “bad” Cholesterol
“good” (Healthy) Cholesterol: HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol gathers up excess cholesterol in the
blood and carries it to the liver where it is excreted. HDL
also helps remove some of the cholesterol deposited on
the artery walls.
“bad” Cholesterol: LDL (low density lipoprotein)
cholesterol builds up on the artery walls and clogs the
blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease.
Any products, services, or organizations that are
mentioned, shown, or indirectly implied in this publication
do not imply endorsement by The University of Arizona.
Saturated Fats:
Butter Half & Half
Bacon
Coffee creamer (powder)
Coconut (shredded)
Sour Cream
Sour Cream (reduced fat)
Pine nuts
1 tsp
2 Tbsp
1 slice
4 tsp
2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
3 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
The bottom line: Don’t eliminate all fat from your diet;
Choose healthy fats in moderation.
ARIZONA COOP E R AT I V E
E TENSION
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES
The University of Arizona
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Nobuko Hongu, Ph.D., R.D.,
Assistant Professor, Nutrition Extension Specialist
Jamie M. Wise
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Nutritional Sciences
Karalee A. Poschman, MPH
Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Nutritional Sciences
Contact:
Nobuko (Kay) Hongu
hongu@email.arizona.edu
This information has been reviewed by university faculty.
cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1452.pdf
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
James A. Christenson, Director, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, The University of Arizona.
The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension