Bottom Line : Fat

One of the quickest and healthiest ways to reduce calories and lose weight is to cut back on the fat.

Eating a diet low in fat is an important step in keeping your heart and arteries in tip-top shape too. The overall goal is to avoid excess fat, especially saturated fat and LDL cholesterol.

But this isn’t enough of a change to create a healthy lifestyle or maintain optimal nutrition. 

• Limit your intake of total fat to <30% of your total calories each day. This is about 45-65 grams each day.
• Limit your intake of saturated fat to <10% of your calories each day. This is about 15-25 grams each day.
• Limit your intake of cholesterol to <300 milligrams each day.

Remember that all fats and oils are not created equal; however all fats and oils are still high in calories. Things to keep in mind:

• Monounsaturated fats help to lower the LDL (lazy/bad cholesterol) while NOT             lowering the HDL (healthy/good cholesterol). These fats are the most heart             friendly.
• Polyunsaturated fats help lower the LDL (lazy/bad cholesterol) but they also             lower the HDL (healthy/good cholesterol). So they are only somewhat heart             healthy.
• Saturated fats raise the LDL (lazy/bad cholesterol) and increase the risk of             heart disease. Therefore, they are not heart healthy.
• Trans-fatty acids can raise the LDL (lazy/bad cholesterol) and triglycerides              levels, and lower the HDL (healthy/good cholesterol). They are not heart             healthy.