Many Americans are trying to make better health choices in the New Year and one common thing to decrease in diets is fat.

“Making decisions about which kind of fat to choose can be confusing. Some fat is actually needed and plays an important role in good health. Other fats should be limited,” said Tammy Roberts, a nutrition and health education specialist with University of Missouri Extension.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that total fat intake be 20 to 35 percent of calories for the day. No more than 10 percent of calories a day should come from saturated fat.

For the average American who consumes around 2,000 calories a day, that would mean no more than 44 to 77 grams of fat a day. Of those, no more than 20 grams should be from saturated fat.

“The healthy fats you should choose most often are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These are the best choice because they can lower the risk of heart disease by helping to reduce total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) in your blood,” said Roberts.

Examples of monounsaturated fat are olive oil, peanut oil and canola oil. Other vegetable oils such as corn, sunflower and safflower are examples of polyunsaturated fats.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat. These are heart healthy fats that can help to protect against coronary artery disease and may also help lower blood pressure and protect against irregular heartbeats.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as tuna, mackerel and salmon, walnuts and soy, canola and flaxseed oils according to Roberts.

“Saturated and trans fats should be limited because they trigger your body to make cholesterol. High cholesterol levels can increase your risk for heart disease,” said Roberts.

Saturated fats generally come from animal foods like beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, butter, whole milk and cheese. Palm, palm kernel and coconut oils also have saturated fat.

“Trans fats are often found in baked and fried goods you purchase at the grocery store. Stick margarine and vegetable shortening are also examples of trans fats,” said Roberts.

Food labels must list the number of grams of saturated fat and trans fat per serving of the food. Using the food label can help a person track these fats.

“Fats do play an important role in our diets. They are responsible for helping to carry and absorb the vitamins A,E,D and K. Fats help provide energy for the body, protects our organs, keeps us warm and helps us to produce hormones,” said Roberts.

For more information on nutrition issues, contact any of the University of Missouri Extension offices in southwest Missouri, go online to http://extension.missouri.edu or contact one of the two nutrition and health education specialists working in the Ozarks: Tammy Roberts, (417) 682-3579 or Dr. Pam Duitsman, (417) 866-3039.