A diet high in fat, particularly saturated and trans fats, raises your blood lipids, especially total cholesterol (TC), low- density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and Triglyceride (TG) levels. Replace fats and oils rich in saturated fats with those that contain unsaturated fats to help lower TC, LDL-C and TG levels.
Choose heart-healthy fats and oils:
GREAT CHOICES | GOOD CHOICES | **CHOOSE RARELY |
Vegetable oils (e.g. canola, soy, olive, corn, safflower, sunflower, sesame, flax, walnut and peanut oils Blended vegetable oils (e.g. canola/olive, etc) Salad dressings made from vegetable oils Avocado, olives Nuts and seeds |
Soft margarine (contains small amounts of modified palm or palm kernel oils) Mayonnaise and fat reduced mayonnaise Fat reduced cream cheese Fat reduced sour cream |
Butter, clarified butter, ghee Vegetable shortening, lard, suet, beef tallow Coconut oil, cocoa butter, palm oil, palm kernel oil Sour cream, cream cheese, coffee cream, half and half cream Whipping cream, whipped cream toppings Commercial dips Creamy salad dressings Gravy |
**Choices in this column are high in saturated fat which raises LDL-C levels.
Types of fats in food, effects on blood lipid levels and food sources
TYPE OF FAT | EFFECT | FOOD SOURCE |
Saturated fats
|
↑ LDL-C |
|
Trans fats
|
↑LDL-C
↓HDL-C |
As of 2018 trans fat are banned from the food supply in Canada.
|
Polyunsaturated fats
|
↓ LDL-C when they replace saturated fats in your diet |
|
Omega-3 fats
|
↓ TG |
|
Monounsaturated fats
|
↓ LDL-C and may ↑HDL-C when they replace saturated fats in your diet AND may also help to maintain good levels of the protective HDL- cholesterol |
|
Cholesterol
|
↑LDL-C |
|