| Health professional agree that eating fat can | | | | clinical observations of people's eating |
| make us fat. Much meat and many dairy | | | | habits, it has been learned that there is |
| products, baked goods, fast foods, snack | | | | significant evidence that eating too much fat |
| foods, fried foods, sauces, gravies, and oils | | | | leads to an increased risk of colon, rectal, |
| are loaded with fat, and eating them can lead | | | | prostate and breast cancers. |
| to obesity. | | | | |
| | | | A reasonable and healthy approach to better |
| Today we all know that food choices we make | | | | nutrition should begin by reducing some of |
| have an important effect on our health. There | | | | the higher-fat foods in your diet. Your |
| is no longer any question that we should all | | | | primary goal should be to limit your total |
| be eating less fat. Low-fat cooking is no | | | | daily fat intake so that fat contributes no |
| longer a special diet, but a way of life. If | | | | more than 30 percent of your total daily |
| you are concerned about your health, you may | | | | calories. By looking at your overall diet in |
| already be trying to trim fat from your diet. | | | | this way, rather than at particular foods, |
| However, you should not try to cut out all | | | | you can enjoy an occasional high-fat food |
| fat. Our bodies require some fat for good | | | | item while still limiting your total daily |
| health, but most of us eat too much of it. We | | | | fat. The secret is to monitor your overall |
| particularly eat too much saturated fat, the | | | | fat intake. |
| type of fat we get from animal sources, which | | | | |
| seems to do the most harm to our bodies. As a | | | | Here are some tips to help you reduce the fat |
| rule of thumb, saturated fats tend to be | | | | in your diet: |
| solid at room temperature (with the exception | | | | |
| of coconut and palm kernel oil). Unsaturated | | | | · Read food labels |
| fats tend to be liquid at room temperature. | | | | |
| Vegetable oils, such as corn, safflower and | | | | · Bake, broil, steam or boil foods instead |
| cottonseed, for example, contain unsaturated | | | | of frying. |
| fat. | | | | |
| | | | · Use low-fat or nonfat products. |
| The negative side effects of a high-fat diet | | | | |
| have been well documented. Saturated fats | | | | · Select lean cuts of red meat. |
| tend to raise blood cholesterol and clog | | | | |
| arteries, which in turn means an increased | | | | · Limit the amount of meats, poultry and |
| risk of heart attack and stroke. Another | | | | fish in your diet to 3 to 6 ounces per day. |
| common health problem associated with a | | | | |
| high-fat diet is obesity. Fat provides, gram | | | | · Use nonstick pan and vegetable cooking |
| for gram, more than twice the calories of | | | | spray. |
| carbohydrates or protein, which means that | | | | |
| for the same quantity of food, a high-fat | | | | · When baking, use ½ to 2/3 of the fat |
| food provides you with many more calories. To | | | | called for in recipes. Apple sauce or apple |
| compound the problem, your body finds it much | | | | butter often can be used to replace the fat. |
| easier to turn fat into body fat for storage. | | | | |
| The connection between fat and cancer risk is | | | | · Avoid deep-fried and fried foods. |
| also strong. From laboratory studies and | | | | |