Fats: Visible and hidden
Visible fats are those readily seen - butter, suet, chicken fat, lard, margarine and others. Foods contributing to the high fat consumption in this country (USA), are mostly those containing hidden fats, i.e. not visible to the eye. Practically all foods of animal origin contain a large proportion of hidden fat (meats, eggs, some dairy products). Fifty per cent or more of the total calories of these foods may come from fat. For example, whole milk has 170 calories per cup; skim milk 85 calories. Rich cakes and pies contain about 50% of their calories as fat calories. Many plain appearing cakes and cookies, such as pound cake and brownies, have much fat tucked away. The fats of these foods are predominantly saturated.
Types of fats
A fat is never exclusively one type but is a combination of 3 types (saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated). All three types are found in foods in varying amounts and proportions.
Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature; they are generally of animal origin and tend to raise the cholesterol levels in the blood. Polyunsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature, and are present in substantial amounts in liquid vegetable and fish oils. They have the capacity to lower cholesterol levels. Monounsaturated fats have little effect on cholesterol one way or the other.
Foods according to types of fats
Predominantly Saturated Fats
Predominantly Polyunsaturated Fats
Predominantly Monounsaturated Fats
Meat - beef veal* lamb, pork and their products such as cold cuts, sausages
Liquid vegetable oils** corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean Olive oil Eggs
Margarines containing substantial amounts of the above oils in liquid form. Olives Whole milk
Fish Avocados Whole milk cheese
Mayonnaise, salad, dressing Cashew nuts Cream sweet and sour
Nuts - walnuts, filberts, pecans, almonds, peanuts Ice cream
Peanut butter Butter
Products made from or with the above Some margarines
note:
*Veal and poultry (chicken and turkey) are relatively low in total fat.
Veal fat is predominantly saturated; chicken and turkey fat is more
favorably distributed between polyunsaturated and saturated fat.
**Peanut oil is not polyunsaturated to the same degree as the other
oils.
Lard
Hydrogenated shortenings
Chocolate
Coconut
Coconut oil
Products made from or with the above such as most cakes pastry cookies gravy sauces and many snack foods
Fats of animal origin such as suet, lard, butter and also artificially hardened (hydrogenated) vegetable shortenings are saturated and should be avoided.
Vegetable oils such as corn, safflower, soybean, cottonseed are used for their polyunsaturated fat content. For more polyunsaturated than saturated fats in the diet, use 1 1/2 ounces of oil (3 tablespoons) daily in salads and in cooking. Make salad dressings with vegetable oil and substitute oil for other fats in cooking and baking. Select only those margarines that list liquid vegetable oils as the first ingredient.
Lunch
Food product | Fat amount in grams |
Baked potatoes | 0.5 |
Cucumber | 0.5 |
Banana | 0.5 |
Smoked fillet | 1.0 |
Liver paste "3%" | 3.0 |
Chicken without skin | 4.0 |
Turkey | 5.0 |
Salted meat | 5.0 |
Smoked salmon | 5.0 |
Pastrami | 5.0 |
Meat | 5.0 |
Cheese 20+ | 11.0 |
Marinated herring | 11.0 |
Egg | 11.0 |
Chicken sausage | 15.0 |
Turkey sausage | 15.0 |
Greenland halibut | 15.0 |
Mackerel+ tomato sauce | 15.0 |
Cheese 30+ | 17.0 |
Meat ball | 17.0 |
Sausage | 22.0 |
Tuna in oil | 22.0 |
Liver paste | 24.0 |
Cheese 45+ | 27.0 |
Mayonnaise salad | 30.0 |
Cheese 60+ | 32.0 |
Mayonnaise, light | 40.0 |
Roast | 42.0 |
Salami | 54.0 |
Mayonnaise | 80.0! |
Dinner
Food product | Fat amount in grams |
Cod, cooked | 1.0 |
Tuna in water | 1.0 |
Shrimp | 1.0 |
Muscles | 2.0 |
Turkey | 2.0 |
Liver | 2.0 |
Veal | 5.0 |
Salmon | 6.0 |
Duck without skin | 6.0 |
Beef filet | 8.0 |
Heart |
10.0 |
Greenland halibut |
15.0 |
Chicken with skin |
15.0 |
Mackerel |
16.0 |
Hamburger steak |
16.0 |
Meat ball |
17.0 |
Tuna in oil |
22.0 |
Sausage | 22.0 |
Veal, with fat | 23.0 |
eel | 28.0 |
Duck with skin | 35.0 |
Bacon | 37.0 |
Pork loin | 50.0! |