Bad fats, such as saturated or trans fats, increase your low-density lipoproteins, or LDL for short. This is the type of cholesterol that is bad for your body. High LDL levels lead to chronic conditions, such as heart disease.
To maintain your health, it's important to limit the amount of fat you consume and select fats that are beneficial for your body. Consuming healthy fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, can help decrease your LDL cholesterol.
Cholesterol Levels
Your total cholesterol should be below 200 mg/dL, according to the American Heart Association. This will decrease your risk of coronary heart disease. A total cholesterol above 240 mg/dL doubles your risk for heart disease. Harmful LDL cholesterol should be less than 100 mg/dL for optimal heart health.
High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol is your good cholesterol that helps rid your body of LDL cholesterol. Your HDL level should be above 60 mg/dL.
Bad Fats
Animal-related foods are high in saturated fat, which can increase LDL cholesterol. Saturated fat is hidden in meat, eggs, milk, butter and fish. Plant oils, such as coconut and palm oil, are also high in saturated fat. You need to consume animal products for protein and other nutrients, but you can limit your consumption and choose lean meats and low-fat dairy products.
Trans fats also increase your LDL cholesterol while lowering your good HDL cholesterol. This type of fat is high in shortening, margarine, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and processed baked goods. Avoid foods high in trans fats including doughnuts, french fries and processed cookies. You should limit your intake of dietary cholesterol. Natural cholesterol is found in meats, seafood and dairy foods. Consuming too much may increase your LDL cholesterol.
Good Fats
Some healthy fats can help decrease your LDL cholesterol. Eat foods that have monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats to help your cholesterol levels. These types of fats help lower your bad LDL cholesterol and raise your good HDL cholesterol, explains MayoClinic.com. Nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, olive oil and avocados are high in these good fats. Eat foods that have omega-3 fatty acids, which is a type of polyunsaturated fat. Omega-3s may decrease your risk of heart disease by lowering your cholesterol. This type of fat is found in salmon, tuna, herring and flaxseeds.
Other Considerations
While some fats are better than others, all fats contain calories. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories. Limit your total fat consumption. About 20 to 35 percent of your total calories should come from fat, suggests MayoClinic.com.
Most of your fat consumption should come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, you can have 400 to 700 calories from fat, or between 44 to 77 g of fat each day.
Melodie Coffman - I started working in restaurants in 1996. I own a nutrition consulting business and am working on my master's degree in food and ...
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