By Shannon McManus, RDN, LDN, Manager of Customer Wellness

Based on research over the past decade, fat consumption is more about quality than quantity. Strong evidence shows that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats, especially mono- or polyunsaturated fats, is associated with reduced blood levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol)—as well as a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease events, such as heart attacks and related deaths.

As a result, the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10 percent of calories per day. Use the primer below to help you navigate the different types of fat in foods.

Eat more of these:

• Polyunsaturated fatty acids (polyunsaturated fats) – Find them in corn, soybean, and cottonseed oils; walnuts; pine nuts; and sesame, pumpkin, and flax seeds. Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat found in seafood, such as salmon, trout, herring, tuna, and mackerel, and in flax seeds and walnuts. EPA and DHA are long-chain n-3 fatty acids common in seafood.
• Monounsaturated fatty acids (monounsaturated fats) – Discover them in olive, canola, peanut, sunflower, and safflower oils, and in avocados, peanut butter, and most nuts.

Eat less of these:

• Saturated fatty acids (saturated fats) – You’ll see them in coconut and palm kernel oils, butter and beef fats, and palm oil—as well as other animal fats, such as pork and chicken fats.
• Trans fatty acids (trans fats) – Avoid these fats by staying away from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and foods containing these oils.

New FDA Requirements

After a thorough review of the scientific evidence, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use in food. As a result, the FDA is requiring food manufacturers reformulate products to remove PHOs and/or petition the FDA to permit specific uses of PHOs within three years. This FDA action is expected to reduce coronary heart disease and prevent thousands of fatal heart attacks annually.

Sources

• Mozaffarian, Dariush, MD, DrPH, and David S. Ludwig, MD, DrPH. "The 2015 US Dietary Guidelines: Lifting the Total Dietary Fat Ban." The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). June 23, 2015; 313(24):2421-2422. Accessed August 02, 2016.
• "FDA Cuts Trans Fat in Processed Foods." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). June 16, 2015. Accessed August 02, 2016.