Facts About Fat The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Fat contributes to Heart Disease and other ailments. Choose foods with <30% of calories derived from fat. Dietary fats and oils are made up of a mixture of 3 types of fatty acids: Saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat. Saturated Fat : The Bad Fat These are found primarily in tropical oils (eg., palm and coconut oil) and in animal foods (meat, lard, and dairy products). Saturated fat makes a food product more solid at room temperature. For example, butter is harder than margarine at room temperature because it contains more saturated fatty acids. Saturated fats play an important role in raising blood cholesterol and increasing your risk for heart disease. Try to Avoid foods high in Saturated Fats. Unsaturated Fats : Unsaturated fats, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids make food appear more liquid-like at room temperature. (Compare low-fat versus regular peanut butter). Polyunsaturated fats are frequently found in vegetable oils and monounsaturated fats are often found in oils such as olive and canola. Poly and mono unsaturated fats contribute less to the development of coronary disease in comparison to saturated fats. Trans-fatty acids are likely to pose an intermediate risk for raising blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease between saturated and unsaturated fats. Some clinical studies have indicated that trans-fatty acids raise total and LDL cholesterol but not to the same extent as saturated fats. High levels of trans-fats may also lower HDL cholesterol. Trans-fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat that occur in foods such as meat and dairy products. Most trans-fatty acids in the diet are derived from foods that contain hydrogenated fats and oils. Trans-fatty acids are frequently found in stick margarines, high fat baked goods (doughnuts), corn chips, and crackers made from hydrogenated fats and oils. Hydrogenation is a process which makes oils more stable and also turns a liquid oil into a more solid product (eg., for shortenings and margarines). Hydrogenation in essence makes oils more saturated. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils were developed to replace the highly saturated animal and vegetable fats required for many products. They offer a more healthy alternative to foods high in saturated fat. Some polyunsaturated fats change into trans-fats during the manufacture or preparation of margarine or baked goods. Current dietary recommendations are directed at reducing the intake of cholesterol and foods high in saturated fats. Less information is available about decreasing the intake of trans-fatty acids although it seem
Dietary Recommendations: Reduce consumption of foods high in Saturated Fats Palm and coconut oils, meat, lard, dairy products Avoid foods high in Trans-Fatty acids Fried foods, stick margarines, high-fat baked goods Substitute Unsaturated fats and oils in home baking as possible Limit cholesterol		Comparison of Selected Dietary Fats Oil Saturated POLY MONO Canola Oil 7% 32% 61% Corn Oil 13% 58% 29% Olive Oil 15% 10% 75% Peanut Oil 19% 33% 48% Lard 43% 10% 47% Palm Oil 51% 10% 39% Coconut Oil 91% 2% 7%

Shown below are general dietary guidelines for a healthy heart diet. These recommendations are particularly useful for patients with high cholesterol with or without adjunctive medication use. The Step 1 diet is applicable to most people while the Step 2 diet is used in patients who have not met their cholesterol goals after a dedicated amount of time on a Step 1 diet. The total amount of calories consumed is affected by factors such as ideal weight and the presence of diabetes. Most food labels such as the one shown above will list dietary recommendation based on the standard 2000 or 2500 calorie per day diet and are adjusted for a Step 1 diet. Salt intake should be limited to < 2400 mg/day.