Benefits of choosing foods with healthy fats
Choosing foods that mostly contain healthy fats instead of foods that mostly contain saturated fats can help reduce your risk of heart disease. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in Canada.
The type of fat you eat over time is more important to health than the total amount of fat you eat.
Foods that contain healthy fats
These foods contain healthy fats:
- nuts
- seeds
- avocado
- fat fish
- vegetable oils
- soft margarine
Foods that contain saturated fats
These foods contain saturated fats:
- fatty meat
- High-fat dairy products
- Some highly processed foods
- Some tropical oils such as palm oil and coconut oil
How to choose food that contains healthy fats
The type of fat you include in your eating pattern is important. Here are some ideas for eating more healthy fats and reducing saturated fats.
Choose foods with healthy fats
Try different types of fatty fish such as:
- trout
- salmon
- salted fish
- mackerel
When preparing foods, use oils that contain healthy fats, such as:
- corn
- olive
- canola
- Peanuts
- Sesame
- soybean
- flaxseed
- safflower
- Sunflower
Eat small amounts of nuts as a snack.
Try nut butters such as peanuts, almonds, or walnuts.
Try pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Toast them for a snack or add them to salads.
Make your own salad dressing using canola, olive, or flaxseed oils. Add balsamic, rice wine, or other vinegars. Flavor with lemon juice, dry or Dijon mustard, garlic and herbs.
Cut down on foods that contain saturated fats
Limit the amount of foods that contain saturated fats, such as:
- generous
- Fat rich meat
- Processed meat
- Canned coconut milk or cream
- Some frozen desserts like ice cream
- Some sweets and bakery products
- Most fried foods, such as french fries
- Cheese and foods that contain a lot of cheese
When preparing foods, try to limit the amount of oils and saturated fats such as:
- Lard
- ghee
- butter
- Palm oil
- Coconut Oil
- hard margarine
Choose lean cuts of meat and skinless poultry. Trim as much visible fat as possible. Drain the fat from the cooked ground beef. Lean or lean cuts of meat can include:
- pork tenderloin
- Chicken breast
- Grilled sirloin or steak
- Round grilled inside and out
- Lean poultry
- wild game like:
- Spinner
- the Bull
- Giant American deer
- Caribou
Some processed foods are made with ingredients high in saturated fat. Use food labels to compare products. Choose those with little added saturated fat.
