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