Saturated Fat Recommendations

One of my Eating for Heart Health attendees asked a good question about saturated fat recommendations. The amount we discussed in class did not match what was listed on the nutrition facts label.

Here’s the scoop:
The U. S Dietary Guidelines recommend that no more than 10% of our calories come from saturated fat.( http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines ) For heart disease and prevention The American Heart Association recommends less than 7% of calories come from saturated fat. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200010

So, if your intake is about 1800 calories 7% = 14 grams, 10% = 20grams.

• A switch to skim milk for whole milk in your latte subtracts 10 grams of saturated fat per 16 oz
• A switch to Fat free half and half from regular saves 1 gram of saturated fat per tablespoon
• Cheesecake at 10 grams per slice is a better choice than Quiche Lorraine which serves up 23 grams of saturated fat.

Beware the cheese and cracker plate: A nosh of 2 inch cubes of cheddar, (8 grams), and 2 cubes of Swiss (10 grams), 2 slices of salami (2.5 grams) and 4 Triscuits (1 gram) will provide 21.5 grams of saturated fat. Clearly over 7% of total calories needed by most adults.

Saturated fat is found mainly in animal products such as dairy products (cheese, ice cream, sour cream, cream and whole or 2% milk) meats (regular ground beef, brisket, hotdogs, bacon, sausage, and poultry skin)

Saturated fat is not a healthy source of fat as it is the building block for the body to make more LDL, aka “bad cholesterol”.

Thanks for the questions..

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