Learning Materials
Low Fat Diet
For a regular healthy diet, it is recommended that of the total calories eaten, no more than 30% should come from fat.
Some dietary fat is needed for good health. Fats supply energy and essential fatty acids and promote absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. However, high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet are linked to increased blood cholesterol levels and a greater risk for heart disease. This guideline emphasizes the continued importance of choosing a diet with less total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
Choose a diet low in fat
Fat, from plant or animal sources, contains more than twice the number of calories of an equal amount of carbohydrate or protein. Choose a diet that provides no more than 30 percent of total calories from fat. The upper limit on the grams of fat in your diet will depend on the daily calories you need:
| Calories per day | 1,600 | 2,000 | 2,800 |
| Total fat (grams) per day |
53 | 65 | 93 |
Choose a diet low in saturated fat
Fats contain both saturated and unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) fatty acids. Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol more than other forms of fat. Reducing saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories will help you lower your blood cholesterol level. The fats from meat, milk, and milk products are the main sources of saturated fats in most diets. Many bakery products are also sources of saturated fats. Vegetable oils supply smaller amounts of saturated fat
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Olive and canola oils are particularly high in monounsaturated fats; most other vegetable oils, nuts, and high-fat fish are good sources of polyunsaturated fats. Both kinds of unsaturated fats reduce blood cholesterol when they replace saturated fats in the diet. Remember that the total fat in the diet should be consumed at a moderate level -- that is, no more than 30 percent of calories. Mono- and polyunsaturated fat sources should replace saturated fats within this limit.
Choose a diet low in cholesterol
makes the cholesterol it requires. In addition, cholesterol is obtained from food. Dietary cholesterol comes from animal sources such as egg yolks, meat (especially organ meats such as liver), poultry, fish, and higher fat milk products. Many of these foods are also high in saturated fats. You can keep your cholesterol intake at this level or lower by eating more grain products, vegetables and fruits, and by limiting intake of high cholesterol foods.
FOR A DIET LOW IN FAT, SATURATED FAT, AND CHOLESTEROL
Fats and Oils
- Use fats and oils sparingly in cooking and at the table.
- Use small amounts of salad dressings and spreads such as butter, margarine, and mayonnaise. Consider using low-fat or fat-free dressings for salads.
- Choose vegetable oils and soft margarines most often because they are lower in saturated fat than solid shortenings and animal fats, even though their caloric content is the same.
- Check the Nutrition Facts Label to see how much fat and saturated fat are in a serving; choose foods lower in fat and saturated fat.
Grain Products, Vegetables, and Fruits
- Choose lowfat sauces with pasta, rice, and potatoes.
- Use as little fat as possible to cook vegetables and grain products.
- Season with herbs, spices, lemon juice, and fat-free or lowfat salad dressings.
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs, Beans, and Nuts
- Choose two to three servings of lean fish, poultry, meats, or other protein-rich foods, such as beans, daily. Use meats labeled "lean" or "extra lean." Trim fat from meat; take skin off poultry. (Three ounces of cooked lean beef or chicken without skin -- a piece the size of a deck of cards -- provides about 6 grams of fat; a piece of chicken with skin or untrimmed meat of that size may have as much as twice this amount of fat.) Most beans and bean products are almost fat-free and are a good source of protein and fiber.
- Limit intake of high-fat processed meats such as sausages, salami, and other cold cuts; choose lower fat varieties by reading the Nutrition Facts Label.
- Limit the intake of organ meats (three ounces of cooked chicken liver have about 540 mg of cholesterol); use egg yolks in moderation (one egg yolk has about 215 mg of cholesterol). Egg whites contain no cholesterol and can be used freely.
Milk and Milk Products
- Choose skim or lowfat milk, fat-free or lowfat yogurt, and lowfat cheese.
- Have two to three lowfat servings daily. Add extra calcium to your diet without added fat by choosing fat-free yogurt and lowfat milk more often. [One cup of skim milk has almost no fat, 1 cup of 1 percent milk has 2.5 grams of fat, 1 cup of 2 percent milk has 5 grams (one teaspoon) of fat, and 1 cup of whole milk has 8 grams of fat.] If you do not consume foods from this group, eat other calcium-rich foods.
Low Fat Diet – some guidelines:
In most cases, this diet provides all the nutrients required by the National Research Council's Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). In some cases, however, the physician may prescribe supplements. Women of childbearing age and those people with malabsorption may need to take certain vitamin and/or mineral supplements.
Food Groups |
||
Group |
Recommend |
Avoid |
| Milk & milk products (2 or more cups daily) | skim milk, evaporated skim milk, skim buttermilk, nonfat sour cream, yogurt made with skim milk (3 gms fat or less/oz, maximum of 3 oz/day), fat-free cheeses, low-fat cottage cheese, part skim mozzarella cheese, part skim or skim ricotta cheese | whole milk, cream, sour cream, non-dairy creamer, whole milk cheese, cheese spreads |
| Bread & grains (4 or more servings daily) | whole grain and enriched breads, cold cereal, whole grain cereals (except granola), saltines, soda crackers, low-fat snack crackers, rice cakes, unbuttered popcorn, low-fat muffins, plain pasta, barley, oatmeal, home-made pancakes without fat, French toast made with egg substitute and skim milk | breads containing egg, cheese, or made with fat; biscuits; sweet rolls; pancakes; French toast; doughnuts; waffles; fritters; muffins; granola-type cereals; snack crackers; potato chips; packaged stuffing; fried rice; chow mein noodles |
| Vegetables (3 or more servings daily) | all vegetables (steamed, raw, boiled, or baked without added fat) | fried vegetables or those in cream, cheese, butter sauces, dips |
| Fruits (2 or more servings daily) | all other fruits | avocado |
| Meat or meat substitutes (5 to 6 oz daily) | poultry (without skin); veal; lean beef trimmed of fat (USDA good or choice cuts of round, sirloin, flank, and tenderloin); fresh, canned, cured, or boiled ham; Canadian bacon; lean pork (tenderloin, chops, cutlet); fish (fresh, frozen, canned in water); eggs (boiled, scrambled without added fat); luncheon meat at least 95% fat free | any fried, fatty, or heavily marbled meat, fish, or poultry; beef (USDA prime cuts, ribs, ground beef, corned beef); pork (spareribs, ham hocks); fish (canned in oil); eggs (fried in butter, oil, or margarine); luncheon meat less than 95% fat free |
| Beverages (4 to 6 cups or more daily) | decaffeinated or regular coffee or tea, cocoa made with skim milk, fruit juices, soft drinks, water | beverages made with high fat dairy products |
| Soups | fat-free broths, consommés, bouillon; soups made with fat-free broth, skim milk, evaporated skim milk | cream soups, soups with added oils or meat fats, soups made from stocks containing meat fat |
| Fats & oils (3 servings daily, each listed is one serving) | avocado 2 Tbsp or 1/8 medium, margarine 1 tsp, diet margarine 2 tsp, salad dressing 1 Tbsp, diet salad dressing 2 Tbsp, vegetable oils 1 tsp, nuts (raw or dry roasted): almonds 6, peanuts 20 small or 10 large, whole walnuts 2, whole pistachios 18, sesame seeds 1 Tbsp, sunflower seeds 1 Tbsp, saturated fats: bacon 1 strip, butter 1 tsp, dried coconut 2 Tbsp, cream cheese 1 Tbsp, sour cream 2 Tbsp, other fats: olive oil 1 tsp, peanut oil 1 tsp, large olives 10, peanut butter 2 tsp |
any fat in excess |
| Sweets & desserts (servings depend on caloric needs) | sherbet made with skim milk, non-fat frozen yogurt, fruit ice, gelatin, angel food cake, vanilla wafers, ginger snaps, graham crackers, meringues, puddings made with skim milk, tapioca, fat-free cakes and cookies, fruit whips made with gelatin or egg whites, hard candy, jelly beans, jelly, jams, maple syrup | ice cream, pastries, cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts, pudding made with whole milk, cream puffs, turnovers, chocolate |