Choose good fats. Not all fats in food are bad. Good fats provide the body with essential fatty acids which help burn fat and protect against diseases. Good fats are unsaturated (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated) fats found in nuts, avocado, canola, olive, corn, soy, sunflower oil and fish oil. Bad fats are saturated fat found in animal meats, dairy, eggs and seafood. Choose unsaturated oil (such as olive, canola or peanut oil) as cooking oil.
Generally, plant foods contain more good fat and food of animal origin contains more bad fat. Red meat usually contains more saturated fat than poultry and fish.
Cut down bad fats. Choose fish more often than red meat or poultry. When eating meat, choose leaner cuts and remove the skin and all visible fat from the meat. Keep the serving size of meat small to about the size of a deck of cards. Eat legumes in place of a meat entrée several times a week and avoid fried foods. Choose low-fat cheese, skim milk or 1% milk. Choose more grains, fruits and vegetables can help you cut down the amount of total fat in your diet.
Run away from Trans-fat. These very bad hydrogenated fats are man-made fats that are mostly found in commercially packaged foods, convenient foods and fast foods. Trans-fat is used because it is easier to handle and package. Examples of trans-fats include vegetable shortening and hard stick margarine. It is not only bad for losing weigh, it has detrimental effect on your overall health. Some fast food restaurants still use trans-fat as frying oil. Look for restaurants that do not use trans-fat as frying oil when eating out.
