Fat. Grams. HE-690 Everyone is talking about fat and. A l a b a m a A & M a n d A u b u r n U n i v e r s i t i e s

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1 A l a b a m a A & M a n d A u b u r n U n i v e r s i t i e s HE-690 Everyone is talking about fat and cholesterol low-fat hamburgers and lite mayonnaise. Some people are trying to lose weight by counting grams of fat instead of counting calories in food. Most food labels list grams of fat in food along with protein and carbohydrates.

2 But What is a Gram of? It s about 1/ 28 ounce, a very, very small amount. In other words, it takes 28 grams to make an ounce. It s the same idea as 25 pennies making a quarter. Most foods are sold by weight. You can buy 10 pounds of potatoes or a 3-pound roast. You buy a pound of cheese or 5 pounds of flour. The weight of food comes from protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, and in some foods, alcohol. A lot of the weight comes from water. For example, water makes up 90 percent of a cup of milk or a piece of watermelon, 75 percent of a banana, and 35 percent of a piece of bread. Even a cooked hamburger patty gets 50 percent of its weight from water. Label readers know that for most foods the amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fat are given in grams. These amounts are listed in grams because they are small amounts. It is easier to list grams than ounces in small amounts. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are what is left over after the water is removed from a food. In addition, these three substances (plus alcohol) give calories or energy to food. Water has weight but doesn t have any calories. Alabama Cooperative Extension System What Should You Know About of? Do you feel that you don t need to think about what you eat, especially how much fat? After all, you probably know of someone who ate anything and lived to be 95. Let s face it these people are the lucky few. In addition, many of these people were more physically active than people are today, so their bodies burned more of the calories they ate. Today, most health professionals agree that Americans eat too much fat. The main problem with eating a lot of fat is simply that fat will make you gain weight faster than any other part of the food you eat. This is because a given amount of fat has more than twice as many calories as the same amount of protein or carbohydrates. (Remember, water gives a food weight but not calories.) The fatter you are, the greater your chances of getting heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to show the harmful effects of 20 or 30 pounds of extra fat. Simply stated, it s not healthy to be fat. Many Americans will be told by a doctor to watch what they eat at some time in their lives. Most will be told to limit the amount of fat they eat. How much fat should you eat? It is suggested that only 30 percent or less of your total caloric intake should come from fat. Most Americans eat more fat than 30 percent. If you want to figure out how many grams of fat you should be eating per day, here s how to do it: Step 1: Determine how many calories you need per day. The chart below gives average values for people of normal weight with a light physical activity level. You might need more or fewer calories depending on your height, weight, and exercise level. Step 2: Divide the calories you need per day by 30. For example, 1,600 calories divided by 30 equals 53 grams of fat. This is a short cut, but it gives you a good approximate number. Women (5 feet 4 inches, 120 pounds) Age Per Day of , , , Men (5 feet 10 inches, 154 pounds) 23-50, , ,600 53

3 Ways To Cut Out Of Your Diet 1. The first step is easy. Eat less fried food at home and when eating out. 2. The second step isn t hard either. Go easy on adding extra fats to foods. Skip the margarine or butter on your toast or biscuit and use only jam. Use less mayonnaise on your sandwich even if it is low-fat, no-cholesterol mayonnaise. s are easy to locate they leave grease on your fingers. 3. The third step takes more time. Remove the visible fats from foods. Trim meats and skin chicken. Skim the fat from soups, gravies, and vegetables. 4. The fourth step can be tricky. Learn to read food labels. During the 1990s, labels on food packages changed. The goal was to make them easier to use, yet some changes may be confusing. If you count fat grams, however, you shouldn t have too much trouble. grams are listed on most food labels. 5. The fifth step is the hardest. Eat in moderation. In other words, stop after one small brownie. 3

4 s In Foods The following chart lists calories, fat grams, and percentage of calories from fat in a wide variety of foods. Foods within a category have similar categories and fat content. Look for general trends within groups of food. A difference of 10 calories or 1 gram of fat is not enough to worry about, unless you always choose the higher-fat foods. s & Oils Use small amounts. One serving has about 10 to 11 grams of fat and at least 100 calories. Because serving sizes vary, the best rule of thumb is to eat in moderation. Food Amount Saturated s: Bacon 2 slices Butter 1 tbsp Chocolate, plain 1 oz Cream cheese 2 tbsp Sour cream 4 tbsp Whipping cream 2 tbsp Unsaturated s: Margarine Hard 1 tbsp Soft 1 tbsp Mayonnaise 1 tbsp Nuts Almonds 12 whole Pecans 2 whole Walnuts 2 whole Peanuts 15 whole Oil: Corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean, sunflower, olive, peanut 1 tbsp Salad dressings 1 tbsp Breads, Cereals, Crackers, Pasta Include breads and grains in your diet eat a variety of cereals and breads. Typical servings are ½ cup of cereal, grain, or pasta or 1 ounce of a bread product. One serving has a trace of fat and about 80 calories. Some exceptions are listed below. These grain products have lots of fat. Food Amount Biscuit 2½ Chow mein ½ cup noodles Cornbread 1 wedge Cracker, Round Butter type Croissant Granola ½ cup Muffin, bran 2½ Stuffing ½ cup Taco shell Waffle Alabama Cooperative Extension System

5 Dairy & Egg Products Wean yourself from whole milk to 2% and then to 1% or skim. Look for low-fat chocolate milk. Frozen Desserts Substitute frozen yogurt and sherbet for high-fat ice cream. Food Amount Fruit popsicle 1 bar Fruit ice 1 bar 247 trace trace Fudgesicle 1 bar 91 trace trace Frozen yogurt, Fruit-flavored 1 cup Sherbet, orange 1 cup Pudding pops 1 bar Ice milk, vanilla Soft serve 1 cup Ice milk, vanilla Hard 1 cup Ice cream, vanilla 1 cup Ice cream, French vanilla, soft 1 cup Ice cream, vanilla, rich (16% fat) 1 cup Food Amount Milk: Skim 8 oz. 86 trace trace Buttermilk 8 oz Low-fat, 1% fat 8 oz Low-fat, 2% fat 8 oz Whole, 3.3% fat 8 oz Yogurt: Plain 4 oz Plain, low-fat 4 oz. 63 trace trace Eggs: Whole White only Yolk only Cheese Most cheese has 8 grams of fat and 100 calories per serving. If you love cheese, look for those with 5 or 6 grams of fat per ounce. Part-skim mozzarella is one good choice. One serving of cheese equals 1 ounce or a 1-inch cube. Food Amount Brie 1 oz Cheddar 1 oz Colby 1 oz Cream 1 oz Gouda 1 oz Monterey Jack 1 oz Muenster 1 oz Swiss 1 oz

6 Meat, Poultry, Fish, Shellfish Three ounces of cooked lean beef or chicken (without skin) which is about the size of a deck of cards has 6 to 7 grams of fat. Choose lean cuts. Look for beef or pork with the words round or loin in the name: sirloin, tenderloin, eye of round, round steak. Make hamburgers from ground round or ground sirloin. In packaged luncheon meats, look for those that have 1 gram of fat per 1-ounce serving. Good choices: chicken or turkey breast, lean roast beef, ham. Weights given in the chart are for cooked servings. Three ounces equal one serving. 6 Alabama Cooperative Extension System Food Amount Beef Lowest fat: Top round, eye of round, bottom round, short loin, wedgebone sirloin 3 oz Moderately fat: Pot roast (chuck), T-bone, porterhouse steak, flank, blade roast 3 oz Higher fat: Corned beef, ground beef, short ribs 3 oz Highest fat: Salami 3-4 slices Bologna 3-4 slices Frankfurter Food Amount Pork Lowest fat: Fresh tender, cured ham, cured shoulder, fresh ham shank, rump 3 oz Moderately fat: Fresh loin, Boston 3 oz Highest fat: Italian sausage, bratwurst, liverwurst, sausage links, spareribs 3 oz Poultry Chicken or turkey, skinned 1 serving Chicken frankfurter 2 franks Turkey bologna 3 slices Turkey frankfurter 2 franks Food Amount Fish & Shellfish Very low-fat: Bass, cod, clams, crab, grouper, lobster, shrimp, snapper, tuna (water-packed) 3 oz Low-fat: Tuna (oil-packed), oysters 3 oz Moderately fat: Catfish 3 oz Salmon 3 oz Highest fat: Mackerel 3 oz

7 Sweets & Snacks Buy low-fat cake mixes. When it comes to cookies, fig bars and graham crackers are good low-fat choices. Snack on air-popped popcorn, light popcorn, and pretzels instead of chips. Food Amount Cookies Vanilla wafers Fig bars Oatmeal 4 small Chocolate chip 4 small Cakes & Pies Angel food cake 1 / trace trace Gingerbread 1 square Pound cake 1 slice Lemon meringue pie 1 / Apple pie 1 / Pudding Chocolate ½ cup Snacks Popcorn, air-popped 1 cup 30 trace trace Popcorn, popped in oil 1 cup Pretzels trace trace Corn chips 1 oz Potato chips 1 oz

8 Three Simple Rules What if your favorite foods are high in fat? Three simple rules can help you enjoy some of your favorites while still maintaining an overall healthy eating plan. Rule Number 1 Mix a low-fat food with a high-fat food. Instead of french fries, eat a plain baked potato with fried chicken. Rule Number 2 Don t eat high-fat food every day. If you eat a fatty food one day, then the next day cut back on the fats and eat more fruits, vegetables, breads, and cereals. Rule Number 3 Enjoy! (A meal high in fat is okay every now and then. Don t forget to eat moderate amounts.) CAUTION No one diet is right for everyone. The information in this publication is a general guideline. For more detailed information about your specific needs, check with your doctor, dietitian, or nutritionist. HE-690 Barbara Struempler, Extension Nutritionist, Professor, Nutrition and Food Science, Auburn University For more information, call your county Extension office. Look in your telephone directory under your county s name to find the number. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability. 7M, Revised Oct 2006, HE by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. All rights reserved.