It's probably no
surprise that greasy cheeseburgers, French fries, and pizza are loaded with
fat.
But did you know that
even certain vegetables and healthy fish can have a high fat content?
Keep in mind that fat
is an important part of a healthy diet and while not all fat is bad, the fat content of a given meal should be
evaluated just as closely as its calories.
Fat Content in Your
Diet: How Much Fat Is Okay?
It's important to pay
attention to how many fat grams you eat each day to make sure you're getting
just the right amount of fat in your diet and no more.
The recommendation is
that no more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat, says
Anne Wolf, RD, a researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Based on the average daily total intake of 2,000 calories, this means we should
eat less than 65 grams of fat each day. "Typically we're eating well over
what we need," notes Wolf.
There are two kinds of
fats, commonly considered "good" and "bad" fats. Saturated
and trans fats are bad, as they are linked to a number of health problems, like
heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unsaturated fats — the good ones — can
actually protect your body from some of these conditions. Still, that doesn't
mean you can eat them without limit because too much of any fat, or of any food
for that matter, can lead to weight gain.
When tracking the fat
content of your meals, make sure that most of your fat intake is in the form of
unsaturated fats, that less than 20 grams are coming fromsaturated fats,
and that hardly any are from trans fat.
Fat Content in Your
Diet: Fat in Everyday Foods
Think of the foods
that frequently make up your daily meals. Have you ever considered their fat
content? Here are some commonly eaten foods and where they weigh in on fat
(typically the bad kinds):
·
Average fast-food hamburger: 36 grams
·
Average fast-food fish sandwich: 24 grams
·
10 French fries: 8 grams
·
One ounce of potato chips: 10 grams
·
One slice of cheese pizza: 8 grams
·
Two ounces of bologna: 16 grams
·
One hot dog: 14 grams
·
Three slices of cooked bacon: 10 grams
·
One ounce cheddar cheese: 8 grams
·
One cup whole milk: 7 grams
·
Two tablespoons of peanut butter: 14 grams
·
One teaspoon of butter or margarine: 4 grams
·
One serving of most breads, bagels, and cereals: about 1 gram
If some of those
numbers don't look that bad to you, pay attention to the amounts and serving
sizes of each of them. When was the last time you ate only one ounce of potato
chips, just 10 fries, or a single slice of pizza? So think about fat content
before you indulge in a burger and fries for lunch followed by pizza for
dinner.
Fat Content in Your
Diet: Surprisingly High-Fat Foods
While the high fat
content of certain foods is no surprise, you may not realize that many other
foods are loaded with hidden fat:
·
Movie theater popcorn (because of the way it’s processed)
·
Packaged meals with added sauces, butter, or oil
·
Highly marbled red meats, including some cuts of beef and lamb — that white
marbling is fat
·
Chicken and other poultry if the skin is eaten
·
Salad dressings
Perhaps the biggest
hidden sources of fats to watch out for are prepackaged snack foods and meals.
They often contain dangerous trans fats — frequently listed as partially
hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening in the ingredients — because they give
these foods a longer shelf life. Trans fats are particularly unhealthy for your
heart and cholesterol levels and should be avoided as much as
possible.
While you might know
that olive and vegetable oils are high in fat, so are nuts, olives, avocados,
and certain fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines. These foods contain the
good, unsaturated fats — just monitor how much you eat to control yourweight.
Given the high fat
content of so many foods, if you're not careful, you could exceed your entire
daily fat allowance by lunchtime! Keep an eye on your fat intake, and opt for
unsaturated fats in place of saturated and trans fats. Your health, your heart, and your waistline will thank you.