Fat Facts for a Healthy Heart

by Joslin Clinic

Did You Know?

  • Eating less saturated and trans fat can help lower the cholesterol in your blood.
  • Changing the kind of fat you eat can help keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.
  • Not all fats are bad for you - some fats can actually help your heart.
  • All fats are high in calories, so cutting back on fat can help you manage your weight.

Good Things About Fats

Some fats can protect you against heart disease and can help you to control your blood pressure. Also, fat is an important nutrient that the body needs for good health. The key is choosing the right kinds of fat for good health.
The Good What it Does Where it's Found
Monounsaturated Fat Lowers LDL and maybe raises HDL cholesterol Canola oil, olives, olive oil, peanuts, peanut oil, avocadoes, nuts
Polyunsaturated Fat Lowers LDL cholesterol Corn, safflower, sunflower and soybean oils, nuts, seeds
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Lowers triglycerides (blood fats) and blood pressure Salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, flax seed, flaxseed oil, walnuts, soybean oil
The Bad What it Does Where it's Found
Saturated Fat Raises LDL (bad) cholesterol Butter, shortening, lard, red meat, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, coconut and palm oils
Trans Fat Raises LDL cholesterol, lowers HDL (good) cholesterol Fried foods, some stick margarines, some cookies and crackers (look for hydrogenated fat on the ingredient list)td>
Cholesterol from Food Too much may raise cholesterol levels Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, butter

Eating for Your Heart's Health

Choose one or two of these suggestions to get you started:

  • Eat poultry, fish and leaner cuts of red meats (beef, pork, lamb, veal)
  • Choose skim or 1% milk rather than 2% or whole milk
  • Bake, broil, grill or steam foods instead of frying
  • Cook with a monounsaturated fat, such as olive or canola oil
  • Try eating fish and seafood (not fried!) at least 2-3 times a week
  • Limit fatty snack foods, such as cookies, potato chips and some crackers
This program was developed in collaboration with an independent panel of dietitians from Joslin Clinic, part of an academic medical center affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

To learn more, visit www.joslin.org.
Content provided by:
Joslin Diabetes Center
nutrition iQ was developed in collaboration with an independent panel of dietitians from Joslin Clinic, part of an academic medical center affiliated with Harvard Medical School.