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fat and cholesterol: dietary recommendations and healthy eating tips

Are you a bit puzzled about how much fat and cholesterol to eat for good health?

Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms
Spinach-Stuffed MushroomsHealthy Living
Total fat: 2g
Saturated fat: 1.5g
These simple, crowd-pleasing appetizers are so savory and fl...

Cinnamon Latte
Cinnamon LatteHealthy Living
Total fat: 1g
Saturated fat: 1g
Now here’s a latte you can feel good about. Low in fat? Ch...

Seriously Simple Beef Stew
Seriously Simple Beef StewHealthy Living
Total fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 2.5g
Consider it the best of both worlds. Hearty, one-pot beef st...

Blueberry-Strawberry Breakfast Shortcake
Blueberry-Strawberry Breakfast ShortcakeHealthy Living
Total fat: 4g
Saturated fat: 1g
This is really tasty. All the kids loved it. If you are tryi...

Sesame-Ginger Coleslaw
Sesame-Ginger ColeslawHealthy Living
Total fat: 2.5g
Saturated fat: 0g
This is no ordinary coleslaw. In our smart version, toasted ...

Zesty Roasted Vegetables
Zesty Roasted VegetablesHealthy Living
Total fat: 2g
Saturated fat: 1g
The garden-fresh vegetables in this tasty side dish get a bo...

Tuscan Pot Roast
Tuscan Pot RoastHealthy Living
Total fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 2g
This pot roast tasted delicious! There was an amazing flavo...

Beef-Fried Rice
Beef-Fried RiceHealthy Living
Total fat: 4.5g
Saturated fat: 1.5g
Ready to call for takeout? Stop! In just 20 minutes you can ...

Mocha Mousse
Mocha MousseHealthy Living
Total fat: 1.5g
Saturated fat: 1.5g
Yummy and can be very low-cal!

How much fat and cholesterol are right for you?

You need to eat some fat for good health. The key is to eat enough—but not too much—and to choose the right types of fat.

Eating too much saturated fat and trans fat contributes to high blood cholesterol more than eating too much cholesterol. However, it’s still important to keep the amount of cholesterol you eat within certain limits.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer the following advice about how much fat and cholesterol to eat each day:

  • Total fat: 20 to 35% of calories
  • Saturated fat: Less than 10% of calories
  • Trans fat: Keep intake as low as possible
  • Cholesterol: Less than 300 mg

Check the chart below to see how much total fat and saturated fat to include in your eating plan based on your estimated daily calorie needs. The above advice about trans fat and cholesterol applies no matter how many calories you eat.

How Much Total Fat and Saturated Fat are Right for You?

Daily Calories Grams of Total Fat to Provide 20% to 35% of Daily Calories Grams of Saturated Fat to Provide Less than 10% of Daily Calories Which is About Right for...
1600 36-62 < 18 Very Young Children, Some Sedentary Women
2000 44-78 < 22 Boys 4-13 yrs, Girls 9-18 yrs, Moderately Active Women
2400 53-93 < 27 Some Active Women, Some Sedentary Men

Managing Fat and Cholesterol: Healthy Eating Tips

Read the Nutrition Facts panel. The Nutrition Facts panel on packaged foods shows how much total fat, saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol are in a serving of food to help you monitor how much you eat. Learn more about reading the Nutrition Facts Panel.

Look for shorthand. Some food packages include “shorthand” messages such as “fat free” or “low in saturated fat” to help you meet your nutrition goals. See chart below for what different messages mean on food labels:

Learn About Label Terms for Fat and Cholesterol
Fat Free Less than 0.5 grams fat per serving
Low Fat 3 grams or less fat per serving
Reduced/Lower Fat At least 25% less fat per serving when compared to a similar food
Saturated Fat Free Less than 0.5 grams saturated fat and less than 0.5 grams trans fat per serving
Low Saturated Fat 1 gram or less per serving and 15% or less of calories from saturated fat
Reduced/Less Saturated Fat At least 25% less saturated fat per serving compared to a similar food
Cholesterol Free Less than 2 milligrams cholesterol and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
Low Cholesterol 20 milligrams or less cholesterol and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
Light Modified amounts of calories and/or fat (or sometimes sodium) per serving. Check the label for specific information.

Balance total fat and saturated fat over time.

In a day, you’ll likely eat some foods that are lower in fat or saturated fat, some higher. What’s important is that the combination of foods you eat over several days averages out to meet these recommendations.

  • Example: To enjoy a sandwich with a higher-fat lunch meat like pastrami, use a slice of 2% milk reduced fat cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and light mayonnaise to help balance the fat in the lunch meat.

Try lower-fat or fat-free foods. Supermarkets today are stocked with reduced-fat and fat-free foods such as salad dressings, sour cream, cream cheese and yogurt. These choices can help you reduce fat, yet they still taste great.

Cook smart. Bake, broil, grill or roast foods instead of frying.

Zero in on trans fat. Read the Nutrition Facts panel to find products with 0 grams of trans fat per serving. Learn more about trans fat.

Checking in on Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance used by the body to make cells, vitamins and hormones. Our bodies make all the cholesterol we need for these purposes. We also get cholesterol from eating animal foods such as meat, poultry, fish and milk products.

The amount of cholesterol in the blood is an indicator of heart disease risk. To reduce risk, the American Heart Association recommends the following blood cholesterol levels:

  • Total cholesterol: 200 mg/dL or lower
  • LDL (“bad”) cholesterol: 100 mg/dL or lower
  • HDL (“good”) cholesterol: 60 mg/dL or more

Some steps to keep blood cholesterol at healthy levels are to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and not too much saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol; maintain a healthy body weight; be physically active, and avoid smoking.
Healthy Eating Tips
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