Weight Management Nutritional Advice
Eating lots of foods that are high in fat and cholesterol is not good for you. The reason is that a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood. This can speed the development of atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of fatty deposits on the inner walls of arteries. If you arteries become narrowed by fatty deposits, they may close or become blocked by a blood clot. When one of the heart’s arteries is blocked, a heart attack results.
Of, course many factors affect a person’s risk of heart disease. But eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet may reduce one of your risks for a heat attack. The American Heart Association recommends that you reduce your fat intake to less than 30% of your total calories.
If You Consume Eat
1,500 calories 50 g. of fat
per day or less or less daily
2,000 calories 65 g. of fat
per day or less or less daily
2,500 calories 80 g. of fat
per day or less or less daily
Tip #1: Use Nonfat Products
To reduce your fat intake you should eat more fruits, vegetables and their juices. Most are naturally low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals.
Try Instead of
-Butter-flavored -Butter or margarine
granules
-Nonfat yogurt -Regular yogurt
-Nonfat salad -Regular salad
dressings dressings
-Angel food cake -Devil’s food cake
-Fat free cookies -High-fat cookies
and crackers and crackers
Tip #2: Choose Low-Fat Products
Try Instead of
-Baked tortilla chips -Fried tortilla chips
-Pretzels or low-fat -Regular potato chips
Potato chips or corn chips
-Low-fat salad -Regular salad
dressings dressings
-Diet margarines -Regular margarines
-Mustard, ketchup or -Regular mayonnaise
Low-fat mayonnaise
-Ready-to-eat cereals -Granola
-Low-fat crackers or
rice cakes -High-fat crackers
Tip #3: Use Lean Meats
Choose fish, chicken, turkey and lean cuts of beef and pork. Remove the skin from poultry in order to cut half the fat. Keep in mind that fried chicken has twice as much fat as baked chicken. The recommended serving size of meat is about 3 oz.
Roughly the size of a deck of cards
Try Instead of
-Tuna packed in water -Tuna packed in oil
-Baked fish -Deep-fried fish
-White-meat poultry -Dark-meat poultry
-Beef labeled “select” -Beef labeled “prime”
or “choice”
-Lower-fat hot dogs, -Regular hot dogs and
luncheon meats and other processed meat
other processed meat
-Lean ham -Bacon and sausage
-Soup and salad -Hamburger and fries
Tip #4: Switch to Skim Milk or ½% Fat Milk
Gradually reduce the fat content of the milk you drink. Start with 2%, then try 1% and finally ½% or skim milk.
Buttermilk made with skim milk is a low-fat alternative to whole milk
Substitute skim milk for whole milk in cooking
Evaporated skim milk (canned) is a great low-fat substitute for cream of half-n-half
Grams of Fat Per One Cup Serving
-Skim milk Less than 1g.
-1/2% fat milk 1g.
-Buttermilk 2g.
-1% fat milk 3g.
-2% fat milk 5g.
-Whole milk 8g.
Tip #5: Enjoy Low-Fat and Nonfat Cheeses and Dairy Products
Try Instead of
-Nonfat/low-fat cheese, -Regular cheese
Skim milk, mozzarella
cheese, cottage cheese
and reduced fat ricotta
cheese
-Nonfat or low-fat -Regular sour cream
sour cream
-Nonfat or low-fat -Regular yogurt
yogurt
Tip #6: Try nonfat and Low-Fat Puddings, Frozen Desserts
Serving sizes are ¾ cup, except for frozen fruit and ice cream bars
Try Instead of
-Frozen fruit bars 0 g. -Ice cream bars 8-30 g.
-Pudding (made with skim -Pudding (made with whole
milk) 2 g. milk) 11 g.
-Sherbet 3 g.
-Frozen low-fat -Ice Cream 11 g.
yogurt 3 g. (10% fat)
-Ice milk 4 g. -Ice cream 18 g.
(16% fat)
Tip #7: Enjoy Low-Fat Breads, Cereals and Pastas
g = grams of fat per serving
Try Instead of
-Bagel 2 g. -Doughnut 14 g.
-Hot cereal 2 g. -Pastries/Danish 38 g.
-English muffin 1-2 g. -Muffin 5-12 g.
-Bread (2 slices) 1-2 g. -Croissant 12 g.
-Corn tortilla 2 g. -Biscuit (2 oz.) 7 g.
(6” diam.)
Baked potatoes and past have less than 1 g. of fat per serving. Make sure to choose low-fat toppings!!
Tip #8: Use egg Whites or Egg Substitutes
Eat no more than 3-4 egg yolks per week!!!!
Use egg whites or egg substitutes instead of whole eggs:
In making scrambled eggs and omelettes
In nonfat cooked frostings
In making cakes, cookies and muffins
In making baked meringues
Try poaching eggs instead of frying them.
Tip #9: Use Less Fat in Cooking
Try to limit the amount of fat you eat to no more than 5-8 teaspoons per day, including what you use in cooking.
Bake, broil, boil, steam, poach or microwave foods instead of frying them
Use nonstick vegetable oil cooking sprays
Enjoy the taste of foods without sauces or gravies
What’s New About Food Labels
Healthy eating has never been easier, thanks to the new nutrition label.
Most foods in the grocery store must now have a nutrition label and an ingredient list
Claims like “low cholesterol” and “fat free” can only be used if a food meets new legal standards set by the government
A new food label is titled “Nutrition Facts”