You may think that all fats are harmful to you, and try to eliminate it from your diet as much as possible. This is actually incorrect. Your body needs some fat to support some body functions. 7,8

Fat includes saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fat is solid and harmful at room temperature because it can raise your cholesterol levels. In contrast, unsaturated fats-the healthier choice of fats-are liquid at room temperature and can help improve cholesterol levels. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats (for example, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids) are types of unsaturated fats. 7–9

Trans fats are another type of harmful dietary fats. It has been changed by a process called dehydrogenation. This process increases the shelf life of the fat and makes the fat harden at room temperature. 9

Knowing which fats can raise your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and which ones are not, can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke as the first step.










Avoiding harmful dietary fats is the key to reducing the risk of vascular disease. Here are some tips 8-11 to help you avoid these fats in your diet :

  • Choose products labeled "Fat-Free" or "Trans Fat-Free"
  • Limit products that contain partially hydrogenated oil because it is equivalent to trans fat. Examples include foods such as margarine, pastries or biscuits, fast food (french fries, fried chicken, burgers), frozen foods (e.g. frozen pizza, frozen blocks, frozen dough products such as buns).
  • Read food labels and choose products that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol (the lower the better).
  • Use monosaturated fats (olive oil, canola oil) or polyunsaturated fats (sunflower oil, corn oil) instead of solid fats (such as butter) in cooking or baking.
  • Do not eat cooking oil that is used repeatedly.
  • Choose low-fat dairy products.
  • Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains
  • Choose lean meat and skinless poultry. Remove visible fat from the meat and peel the poultry.
  • Replace meat with fish (such as salmon and mackerel) at least twice a week to get healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
  • Eat vegetarian food occasionally. Replace animal protein with plant-based protein foods (such as beans, lentils, nuts and seeds) and products including tofu and tempeh.

 

You can also use the following method to learn healthy cooking their own food to prepare a healthy 4 :

  • Steaming: Maintain nutrition and taste.
  • Stir-fry: Use a non-stick pan to gently cook small pieces of food.
  • Roasting and roasting at high temperature: to make fat drip from the meat.
  • Baking/Microwave: Keep the taste and aroma with minimal oil.
  • Stew: Helps soften hard meat without oil.
  • Stew: It is a simple and fast way to use a slow cooker to cook different types of food.