Health Topics for Nutrition

Cutting the fat out

We all know the importance of eating less fat. This is a major health goal for many Americans. Yet, many of us are still confused about how to do so.

How can we lower the fat in our diets? There are several things we can do without compromising flavor:

• eat more foods that are naturally low in fat, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains
• try low-fat or fat-free alternatives, including such items as salad dressings, sour cream, cream cheese, crackers, cookies, ice cream, and other frozen dairy foods
• switch to low or nonfat dairy products
• trim all fat off meat before cooking, remove the skin from poultry, and rinse cooked ground beef under running water
• bake, boil, broil, microwave, or barbecue foods, and avoid frying
• avoid or limit your portion sizes of butter, margarine, gravy, creamy sauces, sour cream, dressings and other toppings

The American Heart Association recommends that the average person limit total fat intake to no more than 30 percent of total calories. The food label is an excellent way to teach yourself more about the fat content of certain foods.

Reduce and change the types of fats you eat. As much as possible, replace trans and saturated fats in your diet with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. To minimize the trans and saturated fats in your diet, reduce your intake of commercially prepared foods (such as commercially prepared baked goods, snack foods, and processed foods, including fast foods). Eat at least 2 servings of fish each week.

Do not go hog-wild eating low-fat snack foods that are low in fiber, high in sugar, and of low nutritional value. They can add a huge amount of calories to our diets. Remember, it is not just fat that makes us fatter. It is eating too many calories and not burning them off with enough physical activity.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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