How do I get the right amounts and type of fat in my diet?

It is important not to cut out potentially healthful foods from your diet because they contain fat.  Start by reading the nutrition panel on food labels. Check the calories, total fat, saturated fat and trans fat per 100 g. Look for polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats by looking for products that have been made from oils such as canola, olive, sunflower, and soybean oils rather than butter, lard, or partially hydrogenated oils.

Keep the following points about fats in mind: 

1. The type of fat is more important for health than trying to achieve a low-fat diet. Aim to increase your intake of healthful omega-3 fatty acids, have moderate amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, while reducing saturated and trans fats.

2. The energy density of a food (calories per 100 g) is more important to weight control than the fat content. Just because a food says “97% fat free” doesn’t mean it is low-calorie. 

A healthful diet should consist of around 30% of calories or energy from fat. It is recommended that saturated fat not compromise more than 10% of total calories in the diet.

Aim to eat more of the omega-3 fats found in fish and seafood, nuts and canola-based products and less of the saturated fats and trans fats found in animal products such as meat and dairy foods, and high fat processed foods such as chips and confectionary.