saturated fats:
how much do I need?

While dairy and protein are critical components of any healthy diet, it's important to pay attention to the fat content in both. Diets that are high in saturated fat tend to raise LDL, (bad) cholesterol in the blood which increases the risk of heart disease.

Foods that are a concentrated source of this type of fat include:

• untrimmed cuts of beef, pork and lamb
• processed cold cuts such as bologna and hot dogs
• bacon and sausage made from pork, beef and even turkey
• foods made with lard, butter and cream
• ice cream and full fat cheeses

A good goal is to limit your intake of these fats to 1/3 or less of your fat allowance for the day. Trim away all visible fats from meats, remove poultry skin and limit the use of bacon, sausage, luncheon meats and full fat dairy to one time a week or less.

How much fat is the right amount?
If your goal is to keep your fat to 60g per day, (following a 2,000 calorie diet), 20g or less should be from saturated sources. Here's what that might look like: