Six Ways to Reduce Bad Fats from Your Diet

Excess fat, particularly saturated fats and trans fats can wreak havoc on your body. A diet high in these fats not only causes weight gain, but also decreases insulin sensitivity which can lead to diabetes and a host of other health problems.

Here are six tried-and-true ways to eliminate bad fats from your diet:

1. Reduce or eliminate red meat. Substitute fish or lean poultry (without the skin).

2. Avoid high-fat dairy products. You can find great substitutes for high-fat dairy products: skim milk instead of whole milk, plain, nonfat yogurt, nonfat sour cream, light cream cheese, and reduced-fat cheese.

3. Use egg whites or packaged egg white products instead of whole eggs.

4. Use healthy oils in cooking. Olive and other monounsaturated oils should be your top choices for sautéing. You can also mix these oils with vinegar to make healthy salad dressings. And for sandwiches, use mustard rather than regular mayonnaise.

5. Eat high-fat foods very sparingly. This list includes regular cheese, chocolate, cream soups, egg yolks, and fatty meats.

6. Learn to read food labels. Federal law requires that all packaged foods indicate how many grams of fat—including trans and saturated fat—are contained in each serving. The goal is to minimize your daily intake of these fats.

Now it’s your turn: What steps have you taken to limit the unhealthy fats in your diet?

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