Choosing foods with healthy fats can help lower your risk of heart disease.

The type of fat you eat over time is more important for health than the total amount of fat you eat.

Choosing foods that contain mostly healthy fats instead of foods that contain mostly saturated fat can help lower your risk of heart disease. Heart disease is 1 of the leading causes of death in Canada.

How to choose food with healthy fats

The type of fat you include in your eating pattern matters. Here are some ideas to eat more healthy fats and less saturated fat.

Choose foods with healthy fats

Try different types of fatty fish such as:

trout

salmon

herring

mackerel

When preparing foods, use oils with healthy fats, such as:

corn

olive

canola

peanut

sesame

soybean

flaxseed

safflower

sunflower

Include small amounts of nuts as a snack.

Try nut butters such as peanut, almond or walnut.

Try pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Toast them for a snack or add them to salads.

Make your own salad dressing with canola, olive or flaxseed oil. Add balsamic, rice wine or other vinegars. Flavour with lemon juice, dry or Dijon mustard, garlic and herbs.

Limit foods that contain saturated fat

Limit the amount of foods containing saturated fat, such as:

cream

higher fat meats

processed meats

canned coconut milk or cream

some frozen desserts like ice cream

some desserts and bakery products

most deep fried foods, like French fries

cheeses and foods containing a lot of cheese

When preparing foods, try to limit the amount of saturated oils and fats like:

lard

ghee

butter

palm oil

coconut oil

hard margarine

Choose lean cuts of meat and skinless poultry. Trim off as much of the visible fat as possible. Drain fat from cooked ground meat. Lean or extra lean cuts of meat can include:

pork loin

chicken breast

sirloin roast or steak

inside and outside round roast

lean ground poultry

wild game such as: deer bison moose caribou



Some processed foods are made with ingredients that are high in saturated fat. Use the food labels to compare products. Choose those with little to no added saturated fat.