Good, Bad and Ugly Fat in Food

Total fat is basically all the amounts of the different types of fat added up. The recommended amount of fat for a 2000 calorie diet is 60 grams per day and the displayed percentage daily value is based on that value. Since each gram of fat has 9 calories (9 x 60 = 540) this should account for about 25% of your daily calorie intake.

Made up of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, this is the healthy type of fat which we need in our diets. The names mono and poly refer to the number of double bonds in it's molecular structure.

Monounsaturated Fat

Unsaturated fat that contains one double bond and is one of the healthiest fats as it helps to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise good cholesterol (HDL). This fat is found in nuts, and plant oils such as canola and olive.

Polyunsaturated Fat

Unsaturated fat that contains more than one double bond and has also been shown to lower bad cholesterol. Omega-3 and omega-6 are two kinds of polyunsaturated fats. Some foods that are high in this type of fat are salmon, fish oil, avocados, sesame and sunflower oils.

Clinical studies have linked consumption of polyunsaturated fats with reduction of inflammation and prevention of blood clotting resulting improvement of cardio-vascular health.

This used to be considered the worst type of fat until the research on trans fat came along. For a regular diet, we should try not to exceed 20 grams of saturated fat per day. For those with high cholesterol and/or a family history of heart disease, less is better. This type of fat is mainly found in animal products but is also present in coconut oil, palm and palm kernel oil. Some studies suggest that plant based saturated fat is not as harmful as animal based, however, more research is needed in this area.

Although it is a type of unsaturated fat, it is in fact worse for you than saturated fat. It is created by partial hydrogenation of plant oils which changes the molecular structure of the fat to make it more stable in food processing.
Ideally we shouldn't consume this type of fat at all but if we do, it is to be counted in the 20 (or less) grams of saturated fat we consume.

Scientific reports link trans fat (and saturated fat) with raising blood LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, both of which increase your risk of coronary heart disease, a leading cause of death in the US.

These fats are often found in commercially fried foods, some packaged snacks, shortening and margarine. Experts could not provide a reference value for trans fat nor any other information that the FDA believes is sufficient to establish a Daily Value or %DV. Many experts go as far as saying that it should be completely eliminated from our diets as it may even have links to cancer, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's.

This it the amount of cholesterol contained in one serving of the item, measured in milligrams. Cholesterol contained in food is a risk factor for heart disease and is contained in some meats, dairy products, egg yolks, and shrimp. For a 2000 calorie diet the daily limit for cholesterol is 250 milligrams.

Fat in Food and Your Health

Fats and oils are an important part of a healthy diet, but the type of fat makes a difference to heart health, and the total amount of fat consumed is also important. A high intake of saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol increases the risk of unhealthy blood lipid levels, which, in turn, may increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

A high intake of fat (greater than 35 percent of calories) generally increases the likelihood of a high saturated fat intake and makes it more difficult to avoid consuming excess calories. A low intake of fats and oils (less than 20 percent of calories) increases the risk of inadequate intakes of vitamin E and of essential fatty acids and may contribute to unfavorable changes in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) blood cholesterol and triglycerides.

Trust me I LOVE food and I knew that fatty, fried, whatever it is, is delicious, but I had to change my diet after my heart attack. Now I spend more time in grocery stores reading nutrition facts labels. I spend time online finding information about healthy diets so I can make wiser decisions about food. I feel a lot better and I've lost weight without even trying to, just by making some healthy changes.

Of course it would be impossible to make this list of low fat foods exhaustive or complete.
Use it just as a sort of guide, but also remember to check the content of other ingredients like salt or sugar which in excess may cause a health hazard just like excess fat. For this reason if you want to be a health conscious consumer you have to read nutrition facts labels.