Healthy Fats

Some fats actually are better for you than others. You just need to get the right amount, and the right kinds. What's the right amount? According to health experts, about one quarter of your total calories should come from fat each day. So if you are following a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, that means, on average, around 500 calories should come from fat. Which are the right kinds? Unsaturated fats are the healthiest type. There are 2 types of unsaturated fats: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Do not forget to also make sure that you keep the cholesterol content low.

1. Polyunsaturated (pohl-ee-uhn-sah-chur-ay-ted): Good sources of polyunsaturated fats include vegetable oils such as safflower, corn, and soy. Polyunsaturated fats actually can help reduce the risk of heart disease by helping to lower you cholesterol level. Omega-3 fatty acids, another type of polyunsaturated fat, are found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and herring. Vegetable sources of omega-3 include walnuts and flaxseeds.
2. Monounsaturated (mohn-oh-uhn-sah-chur-ay-ted): The best sources of monounsaturated fats include olive, peanut, and canola oils, along with avocados and most kinds of nuts. Monounsaturated fats also can help lower your cholesterol level.

Things to limit or avoid

Eating unsaturated fats in moderation can be beneficial. However, you should limit the amount of saturated fats, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol you eat. Here's where these can be found:

1. Saturated fat: Saturated fats can be found in foods from animals, such as meat, poultry, butter, and whole milk.
2. Trans fat: Trans fats can be found in many store-bought baked goods such as crackers, cookies, and cakes, and in deep-fried foods such as doughnuts and french fries. Many margarines and shortenings contain trans fats as well. If you are not sure whether a food contains trans fats, check the Nutrition Facts label. Trans fats will appear under the saturated fat category.
3. Dietary cholesterol: Cholesterol can be found in meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy products.

8 ways to get more of the good fats—and less of the bad ones

Looking for simple ways to include healthy, unsaturated fats in your diet? Print out this list and put it on the refrigerator door. It can remind you of what you should or should not be eating each day.

1. Cook with olive oil rather than butter.
2. Sprinkle nuts, rather than cheese or bacon bits, on your salads. Keep a bag of nuts, rather than potato chips or crackers, for snacking (in small amounts) at work or home.
3. Add slices of avocado, instead of cheese, to your sandwich.Eat fish once or twice a week.
4. Use peanut butter as a "dip" for celery or bananas. Or, spread it on rice cakes.
5. If you use whole milk, switch to low-fat (1%) milk instead. Low-fat milk has one-third less saturated fat. Treat yourself to low-fat frozen yogurt rather than regular ice cream. Yogurt contains less than half the fat.
6. Try to limit beef and cheese; these foods are the most common sources of saturated fat in the American diet.
7. Cut down on baked goods such as cakes, cookies, crackers, and pies. Americans get far more trans fat from these sources than from any other foods.

Choosing healthy fats is an important step toward a healthier diet. Knowing what to use and what to avoid can help you make better decisions and stay on track.