It's all about keeping a balance. For instance, overdoing "good" fats wouldn't be so good for you. And having the occasional snack or dessert made with shortening won't be the end of you.
Reducing the amount of fat in your diet is also beneficial for weight management, since fat has more than twice the calories of either protein or carbohydrates. Protein and carbohydrate both contain four calories per gram, while fat provides nine.
Fat control tips
• Eat more high fibre foods such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains – you'll have less room left for high fat foods.
• Choose 1% or skim milk and low fat cheeses.
• Serve fish, seafood and skinless poultry more often than meat.
• Use light or fat-free mayonnaise and salad dressings in small amounts – a tablespoon will usually do.
• Prepare rice, couscous, potatoes and other vegetables without adding extra fat.
• Instead of cooking vegetables in oil or butter, use a little liquid such as water, defatted broth, fruit juice or wine. You'll save 14 grams of fat for each tablespoon of fat you skip.
• Substitute whole grain bread, bagels or English muffins instead of muffins, doughnuts and croissants.
• Spread toast lightly with non-hydrogenated margarine, peanut butter or jam instead of butter or hydrogenated margarine.
• Avoid gravy and creamy sauces such as béarnaise, hollandaise, and most white sauces, including Alfredo. If you're eating pasta, stick with a tomato-based sauce.
• Puree a can of kidney beans or pinto beans in a food processor and add to lean ground beef for meatloaf, meatballs or tacos. Bean purée is also a great thickener for soups and stews. It's a delicious way to add a hefty dose of fibre without adding fat.
• Rinse cooked ground beef with hot water before adding to recipes. You'll get rid of an extra 2 to 5 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving.
• Bake, broil or steam rather than sauté or fry. If you do stir-fry use a small amount of oil, a teaspoon will usually do.
• Choose foods labeled "low-fat" – they contain three grams of fat or less per serving.
• When preparing meals, half of your dinner plate should come from vegetables, quarter from whole grains, and a quarter from a protein source.
• Keep meat portions to no more than 3 ounces (about 75 g) per serving (the size of a deck of cards) and no more than 2-3 servings per day. (For more information, see our article on portion sizes.)
• Prepare sandwiches with mustard instead of butter or margarine
• Use low fat salad dressings, sour cream, etc.
Daily fat recommendations
Adults should get 20 to 35 percent of their daily calories from fat. Children need more fat in their diet than adults for healthy growth and development. One to three year olds should get 30 to 40 percent of their calories from fat, while children 4 to 18 years of age need 25 to 35 percent of their calories from fat.
For an adult following a 1500 calorie diet, this is equivalent to 33 to 58 grams of fat per day; for a 2000 calorie diet, it means a range of 44 to 78 g of fat per day.
