Fats, oils and sweets are foods such as salad dressings and oils, cream, butter, margarine, sugars, soft drinks, candies, and sweet desserts. These foods provide calories and little else nutritionally. Most people should use them sparingly.

How much fat can I have?
It depends on your calorie needs. The USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans limit fat in their diets to 30 percent of calories. This amounts to 53 grams of fat in a 1,600-calorie diet, 73 grams of fat in a 2,200-calorie diet, and 93 grams of fat in a 2,800 calorie diet. You will get up to half this fat even if you pick the lowest fat choices from each food group and add no fat to your foods in preparation or at the table. You decide how to use the the additional fat in your daily diet. You may want to have foods from the five major food groups that are higher in fat - such as whole milk instead of skim milk. Or you may want to use it in cooking or at the table in the form of spreads, dressings, or toppings.

Are some types of fat worse than others?
Yes. Eating too much saturated fat raises blood cholesterol levels in many people, increasing their risk for heart disease. The USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories, or about one third of total fat intake. All fats in foods are mixtures of three types of fatty acids - saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats are found in largest amounts in fats from meat and dairy products and in some vegetable fats such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils. Monounsaturated fats are found mainly in olive, peanut, and canola oils. Polyunsaturated fats are found mainly in safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, and cottonseed oils and some fish.

How do I avoid too much saturated fat?
Keep your total fat intake within USDA recommended levels. Choose fat from a variety of food sources, but mostly from those foods that are higher in polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat. Use lean meats and skim or low fat dairy products. Use unsaturated vegetable oils and margarine that list a liquid vegetable oil as first ingredient on the label. Read nutrition and ingredient labels on food packages to check the kinds and amounts of fat they contain. Limit use of products that contain a large amount of unsaturated fats. Examples are nondairy creamers and rich baked products such as pie crusts and other pastries, cakes, and cookies.


Where's the fat?
Below is a list of popular foods, and their total amount of fat (in grams) per serving.

Vegetable Group
Vegetables, cooked, 1/2 cup
trace
Vegetables, leafy, raw, 1 cup
trace
Vegetables, nonleafy, raw, chopped, 1/2 cup
trace
Potatoes, scalloped, 1/2 cup
4
Potato salad, 1/2 cup
8
French fries, 10
8
Fruit Group
Whole fruit: medium apple, orange, banana
trace
Fruit, raw or canned, 1/2 cup
trace
Fruit juice, unsweetened, 3/4 cup
trace
Avocado, 1/4 whole
9
Dairy Group
Skim milk, 1 cup
trace
Nonfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz.
trace
Lowfat milk, 2 percent, 1 cup
5
Whole milk, 1 cup
8
Chocolate milk, 2 percent, 1 cup
5
Lowfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz.
4
Lowfat yogurt, fruit, 8 oz.
3
Natural cheddar cheese, 1-1/2 oz.
14
Process cheese, 2 oz.
18
Mozzarella, part skim,1-1/2 oz.
7
Ricota, part skim, 1/2 cup
10
Cottage cheese, 4 percent fat, 1 cup
5
Ice cream, 1 1/2 cup
7
Ice milk, 1 1/2 cup
3
Frozen yogurt, 1 cup
2
Meat Group
Lean meat, poultry, fish, cooked
6
Ground beef, lean, cooked
16
Chicken, with skin, fried
13
Bologna, 2 slices
16
Egg, 1
5
Dry beans and peas, cooked, 1/2 cup
trace
Peanut butter, 2 tbsp.
16
Nuts, 1/3 cup
22
Fats, Oils, and Sweets
Butter, margarine, 1 tsp.
4
Mayonnaise, 1 tbsp.
11
Salad dressing, 1 tbsp.
7
Sour cream, 2 tbsp.
6
Cream cheese, 1 oz.
10
Sugar, jam, jelly, 1 tsp.
0
Cola, 12 fl. oz.
0
Fruit drink, ade, 12 fl. oz.
0
Chocolate bar, 1 oz.
9
Sherbert, 1/2 cup
2
Fruit sorbet, 1/2 cup
0
Gelatin dessert, 1/2 cup
0
Source: United States Department of Agriculture, Home & Garden Bulletin #52


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