DGA - Cut Down On Saturated Fats

DIETARY
GUIDELINES
FOR AMERICANS
Cut Down on
2015-2020
EIGHTH EDITION Saturated Fats
Limiting saturated fats is important for your health — and it doesn’t mean you have to cut down on
flavor. Learn how to swap out saturated fats for healthier options.
The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from saturated fats to less
than 10% of the total calories you eat and drink each day. That’s about 200 calories for a 2,000 calorie diet.
What are saturated fats? What are unsaturated fats?

Saturated fats are one type of fat in the foods we eat and the
Unsaturated fats are
beverages we drink. Most come from animal products, like dairy, found in some foods and
meat, and poultry. To limit the amount of saturated fats you eat, most oils. There are 2
choose lower-fat and lean options of dairy, meat, and poultry — types of unsaturated fats:
like skim milk, lean beef, and grilled chicken breast without monounsaturated fatty acids
the skin. (MUFA) and polyunsaturated
fatty acids (PUFA).
Eating too many foods high in saturated fats can be bad for your
health. By replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats, you may While saturated fats have
lower your risk of getting heart disease. health risks, unsaturated fats
have health benefits.
Focus on getting unsaturated

What foods and beverages are higher fats from:
in saturated fats? • Seafood (like salmon, trout,
herring, tuna, and mackerel)
• Meats higher in fat, like beef ribs, sausage, and some • Walnuts, almonds, cashews,
processed meats and most other nuts
• Higher-fat dairy, like regular-fat cheeses and whole or 2% milk • Sesame, pumpkin, and flax
• Butter, stick margarine, cream, and cream cheese seeds
• Some tropical oils, like coconut and palm kernel oil • Olive, canola, peanut,
• Cakes, cookies, and some snack foods sunflower, safflower, corn,
soybean, and cottonseed oils*
Dishes with many ingredients — like pizza, casseroles, burgers, • Avocados
tacos, and sandwiches — tend to have ingredients that are high
in saturated fats. * The Dietary Guidelines recommends that adult
women get 1.5–2 tablespoons and adult men
Choose ingredients for these dishes that are low in saturated get 2–2.5 tablespoons of oils each day.
fats — like vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and fat-free dairy
products, most oils, and lean cuts of meats and poultry.
2015 –2020 Dietar y Guidelines for Americans — Cut Down on Saturated Fats — Page 1
How can I cut down on saturated fats?
What about trans fats?
The best strategy is not just to limit saturated fats — it’s also to
Like saturated fats, trans fats
replace them with healthier unsaturated fats.
may increase the risk of heart
Studies show that swapping saturated fats for unsaturated fats disease.
may have health benefits. It can help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol Food companies have lowered
in the blood. It may also lower the risk of heart disease. the amount of artificial trans
Here are 3 things you can do. fats they add to foods. But there
may still be some artificial
1. Find out how many calories from saturated fats you’re trans fats in packaged foods
getting now. like snacks, desserts, frozen
You can use USDA’s SuperTracker (https://supertracker.usda.gov) pizzas, margarine, and more.
to get an idea. If it’s more than 10% of your daily calories, find The Dietary Guidelines
small changes you can make today and build on over time. recommends eating and
drinking as few artificial
2. Check the Nutrition Facts label.
trans fats as possible.
The label shows total fat broken out by
saturated fat and trans fat. Labels may Small amounts of natural trans
fats are in dairy and meat.
also list monounsaturated fatty acids and
polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are The Dietary Guidelines
types of unsaturated fats. recommends lowering how
many natural trans fats you
Pay attention to the specific types of fats get by choosing fat-free or
listed. Choose options that are lower in or low-fat dairy and lean meats
have no saturated fats and trans fats or and poultry.
have unsaturated fats instead.
3. Make some healthy shifts.
Replace foods and beverages higher in saturated fats with healthier options.
Cook with olive oil instead of Go for grilled chicken breast Have fruit salad instead of
butter or stick margarine (without the skin) instead of fried ice cream for dessert
You can still have some foods and beverages with saturated fats — just choose smaller portions or have them
less often. For example, you can:
• Replace some of the meat or poultry in your taco recipe with fish, beans, or other vegetables
• Use less meat and more vegetables to make a stir fry cooked with a small amount of oil
• Limit desserts to special occasions and use small bowls and plates to encourage smaller portions
Want to learn more about saturated fats and how to build a healthy eating pattern that works for you? Check out
DietaryGuidelines.gov for more information on the Dietary Guidelines and ChooseMyPlate.gov for online tools, recipes, and more.
2015 –2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans — Cut Down on Saturated Fats — Page 2
December 2016

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DIETARY

What are saturated fats? What are unsaturated fats?

Focus on getting unsaturated

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