Limiting fats from your diet is important for everyone, especially those who have high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and need to lower it. Some fats in foods raise bad cholesterol in the body while others, used in moderation, may help reduce it. Too much of the wrong fats can lead to plaque build-up in the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. But which fats are supposed to be limited or excluded altogether and which are safe to eat in moderation?
The Low-Down on Unhealthy Fats
According to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, the fats that should be avoided, or at least limited, are saturated fats, trans fat and cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends using these guidelines:
- Trans fat – Eat less than 1 percent of total daily calories
- Saturated Fat – Less than 7 percent of total daily calories
- Cholesterol – Less than 200 mg/day for a person trying to lower their cholesterol and less than 300 mg/day for a healthy person.
Examples of foods to avoid when trying to lower bad cholesterol are margarine, butter and shortening. Many processed foods, such as cookies, crackers and potato chips also contain these bad fats, so it is important to read nutrition labels. Sometimes trans fat is disguised in the ingredients as “partially hydrogenated oil”, so it is important to look at nutrition labels carefully.
Fats to avoid when trying to lower cholesterol are:
Fats to avoid when trying to lower cholesterol are:
- Real butter
- Bacon
- Creamy sauces and soups
- Gravy
- Lard
- Hydrogenated margarine and shortening
- Cocoa butter
- Palm, coconut, palm-kernel and cottonseed oils
Good Fats that Lower Cholesterol
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats may actually help to reduce bad cholesterol in your body. Olive oil and canola oil are good sources of monounsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats found in nuts such as almonds, peanuts and walnuts are also a good choice in place of saturated and trans fat. However, all fats are high in calories so you will want to limit your intake of these foods.
Good fats that can lower cholesterol:
Good fats that can lower cholesterol:
- Canola oil
- Olive oil
- Special cholesterol-lowering margarine
- Trans fat-free margarine
- Walnuts, peanuts, almonds and pecans
- Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil
- Salmon, tuna and mackeral
Everyone, no matter what their cholesterol levels are, should be aware of which fats to avoid and which are safe to eat. This helps to not only lower cholesterol, but also maintain healthy cholesterol levels for a heart-healthy life.
