Dietary Fats: Which to Limit, Which to Choose

Fat is a nutrient, and you need some of it — just not too much.

What fat does

• Energy: fat is a source of energy.
• Vitamins: it helps your body absorb vitamins.
• Cholesterol: the fat you eat plays a major part in your cholesterol levels.

Fats to avoid

Not all fats are alike. Try to avoid:

• Saturated fats, such as butter, solid shortening and lard.
• Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs). Under the rules in force, most U.S. companies were no longer allowed to add PHOs to food by 2018.

What to use instead

Try to replace them with oils such as:

• canola;
• olive;
• safflower;
• sesame;
• sunflower.

Watch the amount

Eating too much fat of any kind will put on weight. Fat has twice as many calories as protein or carbohydrates.

Sources

• MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Dietary Fats," drawing on the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH). https://medlineplus.gov/dietaryfats.html
• The source says that "by 2018" most companies "will not be allowed" to add PHOs; that date has passed, so it is put in the past tense here.
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.