- Limit saturated fats and oils, such as butter, bacon drippings, lard, palm oil, and coconut oil. Instead, use soft tub margarine or vegetable oils, such as olive or canola oil.
- Avoid trans fats or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. These oils go through a process that makes them solid. They're found in some hard margarines, snack crackers, cookies, chips, and shortenings.
- Limit fatty meats such as corned beef, pastrami, ribs, steak, ground meat, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and processed meats like bologna. Also limit organ meats like liver and kidney. Replace with skinless chicken or turkey, lean beef, veal, pork, lamb, and fish. Try some meatless main dishes, like beans, peas, pasta, or rice.
- Limit meat, poultry, and fish to no more than two servings, or 5 oz (140 g), a day. Remember that a serving is about the size of a deck of playing cards.
- Limit egg yolks.
- Limit milk products that contain more than 1% milk fat. This includes cream, most cheeses, and nondairy coffee creamers or whipped topping (which often contain coconut or palm oils). Instead try fat-free or low-fat milk (0% to 1% fat) and low-fat cheeses.
- Limit snack crackers, muffins, quick breads, croissants, and cakes made with saturated or hydrogenated fat, whole eggs, or whole milk. Try low-fat baked goods, and use any spreads or toppings lightly.
- Instead of using butter or margarine on bread, try dipping it in olive oil.
- Avoid fast foods like hamburgers, fries, fried chicken, and tacos. They are high in both total fat and saturated fat. When you eat out, choose broiled sandwiches or chicken without skin, salads with low-fat dressing, and foods that aren't fried. Ask the server to leave off the cheese and high-fat dressings like mayonnaise.
RECOMMENDED FOODS
Grains Recommended Foods
- Whole grain breads and cereals, including oats and barley,
- Pasta, especially whole wheat or other whole grain types
- Brown rice
- Low-fat crackers and pretzels
- Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables without added fat or salt
- Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit
- Nonfat (skim), low-fat, or 1%-fat milk or buttermilk
- Nonfat or low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese
- Fat-free and low-fat cheese
- Lean cuts of beef and pork (loin, leg, round, extra lean hamburger)
- Skinless poultry
- Fish
- Venison and other wild game
- Dried beans and peas
- Nuts and nut butters
- Meat alternatives made with soy or textured vegetable protein
- Egg whites or egg substitute
- Cold cuts made with lean meat or soy protein
- Unsaturated oils (olive, peanut, soy, sunflower, canola)
- Soft or liquid margarines and vegetable oil spreads
- Salad dressings
- Seeds and nuts
- Avocado
Grains Foods Not Recommended
- High-fat bakery products, such as doughnuts, biscuits, croissants,
- danish pastries, pies, cookies
- Snacks made with partially hydrogenated oils, including chips,
- cheese puffs, snack mixes, regular crackers, butter-flavored
- popcorn
- Fried vegetables
- Vegetables prepared with butter, cheese, or cream sauce
- Fried fruits
- Fruits served with butter or cream
- Whole milk
- 2%-fat milk
- Whole milk yogurt or ice cream
- Cream
- Half-&-half
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Cheese
- Higher-fat cuts of meats (ribs, t-bone steak, regular hamburger)
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Cold cuts, such as salami or bologna
- Corned beef
- Hot dogs
- Organ meats (liver, brains, sweetbreads)
- Poultry with skin
- Fried meat, poultry, and fish
- Whole eggs and egg yolks
- Butter
- Stick margarine
- Shortening
- Partially hydrogenated oils
- Tropical oils (coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils).
