Fat

Fat is a part of a healthy diet. It is needed to carry vitamins through the body and help manage body functions. But how much and what type of fat you eat does matter.

There are two basic kinds of fat found in food — saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fat — butter, for example — is solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fat — for instance, olive oil or canola oil — is liquid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are better than saturated fats because they do not raise your cholesterol levels as much. You can find out how much fat a product contains by reading its nutrition label.

Trans fat, another kind of fat listed on food labels, is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils to improve their smell, taste, and shelf life. This kind of fat — often found in french fries, potato chips, store-bought baked goods and frozen meals — can increase your cholesterol levels. You can decrease your cholesterol by exercising and eating foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.

You should limit or remove foods with saturated and trans fats from your diet. If you choose to eat such foods as meat, poultry, fried goods, pastries or milk products, choose items that are lean, low-fat or non-fat. You also can change the way you prepare foods:

• Broil or bake instead of frying
• Skim fat from soups
• Trim all fat from meats
• Remove skin from poultry
• Cut back on butter, margarine, cream, oil and mayonnaise made from trans fat