How to decrease high-fat from your diet

In general, the culprit sources of "bad" fat are from animal products like cheese. But there are also plant-based sources of saturated fat, principally cocoa butter. And while you probably don’t purchase these plant-based ingredients, saturated fats crop up in a number of snack products. Cocoa butter is in chocolate. Coconut oil is used in a wide variety of favorites such as cookies.

Consumers consume an average of 25.5 grams of saturated fat a day, which is 5-10 grams more than we should be eating.

Butter, an animal-based saturated fat, is high in both heart-disease inducing saturated fat and cholesterol, increasing our risk of stroke. There is also some concern about butter containing traces of antibiotics fed to livestock. On the plus side, butter is a good source of healthy vitamins A, D, E and K.

Margarine, made from vegetable oil, is low in cholesterol. But because the liquified vegetable oil in stick margarine is solidified through a process called hydrogenation, it contains excessive trans-fatty acids. trans fats lower levels of good cholesterol, the kind that offers a defense against artery-clogging fats. This makes trans fats riskier than saturated fat.

Fortunately, there are a number of margarines on the market that are trans-fat-free. Some of these spreads contain plant sterols and stanols, actively blocking the absorption of cholesterol, making these spreads a healthier alternative to regular margarine and butter. These light margarines have not been hydrogenated, they are and usually sold in tubs.

Quick ways to eat less saturated fat in our diet

  • Substitute fat-free versions of milk and dairy products for their high-fat counterparts
  • Eat red meat occasionally, choose lean cuts and eat smaller portions of it
  • Always discard the skin from poultry after cooking
  • Eat fish at least twice a week
  • Go meatless at least once a week, there are plenty of vegetarian recipes out there
  • Use insaturated vegetable oils, like olive oil over solid fats such as butter
  • Flavor foods with spices instead of sauces
  • Increase intake of whole grains