FATS: What you need to know!
Do you have problems with high cholesterol? Is your doctor pushing you to start taking medication to
help lower your cholesterol? Do you have heart disease, or are you at increased risk for heart disease?
Or maybe you want to know more about how to eat healthy? If so, here are some helpful tips to creating
a healthier you.
Cholesterol Goals:
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Total Cholesterol
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< 200 mg/dL is desirable
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HDL “good” cholesterol
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> 40 mg/dL for men
> 50 mg/dL for women
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LDL “bad” cholesterol
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< 100 mg/dL is desirable
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Triglycerides
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< 150 mg/dL is optimal
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Fats you should be limiting in your diet are SATURATED & TRANS fats! Both of these fats are linked to
elevated LDL cholesterol labs values and contribute the clogging of your arteries. Unfortunately, living in the
state of Wisconsin some foods containing these fats are commonly eaten in excess. An example of this
would be Brats & Cheese curds. Now this doesn’t mean that I am telling you not to eat these foods ever,
rather try to consume less. Saturated & trans fats are not only limited to brats and cheese curds. Read
on discover more about these bad fats, but also the better fats.
All about Fats:
Bad Fats
Saturated:
-mainly found in animal products like beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, lard, cream, butter, cheese, and
whole or reduced fat dairy products
-also beware of processed meats like salami, bologna, brats, summer sausage, beef sticks (this includes
venison versions of these processed meats)
Tips:
-limit red meats to twice per week
-choose lean poultry without skin (the most lean is skinless boneless breast meat)
-limit cheese intake
-1% or skim milk is recommended. If you currently drink whole milk try working your way down to 2%, then
down to 1%. Do the same with 2% milk, working you way down to skim milk.
-the guidelines suggest limiting to 7% of total daily calories from saturated fat
-this would be 15 g or less saturated fat/day if following a 2,000 calorie diet
Trans:
-found in baked goods, fried foods, snack foods, some stick margarines and vegetable shortening
-look for “partially hydrogenated oil” under the ingredients of the food label. This indicates the product has trans fat
-by law products can list on the label 0 grams of trans fat if the product contains <0.5 g/serving. So if you eat
multiple servings or multiple food items containing few amounts of trans fat, this can add up.
Tips:
-limit processed foods, pastries, and fried foods
-be smart in reading the food labels. Some products will get rid of the trans fat, only to add more saturated fat.
-the guidelines suggest limiting trans fat to 1% of total calories
-this would be 2 g or less trans fat per/day if following 2,000 calorie diet
Better Fats
Monounsaturated fats (MUFA’s)
-found in vegetable oils (olive oil, canola oil, peanut, and sesame oil), avocados, olives, many nuts & seeds
(almonds, peanuts, and peanut butter)
-these fats help to reduce bad cholesterol and may help lower risk of heart disease
Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA’s)
-found in vegetable oils (soybean, corn, and safflower), many nuts & seeds (walnuts & sunflower seeds) and
are high in Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids (ALA)
-also found in fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, and trout), which are high in Omega-3 fatty acids
(EPA & DHA)
- these fats also help to reduce bad cholesterol and may help lower risk of heart disease
Tips:
-choose lean meats & vegetable alternatives to meat, such as beans
-consume fish, especially oily fish (containing Omega-3 fatty acids) at least 2 times/week
-select fat-free, skim, or 1% milk, and low-fat dairy cheese and yogurt
-minimize intake of fats, such as butter and other partially hydrogenated fats
-use liquid oils over solid fats when cooking or baking
-cut back on pastries, bakery items, such as cake, muffins, and doughnuts
How to tips on making over your recipes
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Recipe calls for:
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Substitution ideas:
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Butter
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-for every 1 Tbsp. butter, stick margarine, or shortening replace with ¾ Tbsp. oil, or you can sometimes eliminate the fat all together
-cut oil in half and replace the other half with applesauce, pureed pumpkin or prunes in baked goods
-use low-fat tub margarine as spread instead of butter
-use vegetable oil sprays or small amounts of oil in skillets & pans
-use more broth or water to reduce the amount of fat used
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Whole Milk, 2% milk
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-skim or 1% milk, fat free ½ & ½
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Cream
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-evaporated skim milk, fat free ½ & ½
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Oil
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-use canola and olive oil
-instead of 1 cup, cut down to ¾ or 2/3 cup
-if making sweet bread, use ½ of oil and the other half with pureed plums/prunes, mashed banana, applesauce, canned pumpkin
-use cooking spray instead of oil for sautéing
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Eggs
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-instead of one egg, try two egg whites
-if baking, replace half of the egg with whites (Ex: instead of two eggs, use one egg and two egg whites)
-use egg substitute. ¼ cup egg substitute = 1 egg
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Fatty Meats
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-choose lean meats (i.e. ground round or meats with less white marbling)
-drain fat off of meat after browning
-trim off excess fat & remove skin
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Cheese
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-use part-skim mozzarella vs. higher fat cheeses
-use ¾ cup sharp cheddar in place of 1 cup regular cheddar (the sharp cheese added more intense flavor)
-use ¾ cup freshly shredded parmesan vs. 1 cup grated parmesan from the shaker (the fresh parmesan has more zip)
-try some of the reduced-fat cheeses
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Sour Cream
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-use reduced fat, fat free or plain low-fat yogurt
-try plain greek yogurt or plain yogurt
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Cream Cheese
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-reduced-fat cream cheese is a good alternative
*don’t use fat free cream cheese in frostings and dips…it will turn out runny
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Cream Soups
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-limit these and instead pick out broth, tomato, lentil or beans soups.
-if making cream soup from scratch use skim milk and enhance flavor with reduced fat cream cheese or fat free ½ & ½
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Cream dips
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-use ½ low-fat or fat free plain yogurt or greek yogurt and mix with ½ low-fat mayonnaise
-use low-fat or fat free sour cream and make your own vs. buying the store bought variety
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Mayonnaise
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-use low-fat, reduced fat, or light mayonnaise instead of regular mayonnaise
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Nuts
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-reduce the quantity by ½ in recipes and toast them (toasting helps bring out the flavor)
-although fats in nuts are better fats, you need to be careful with portion control because they are high in calories
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By Kelly Strigenz
Registered Dietitian at Divine Savior Healthcare