Your Heart, Your Life: A Community Health Worker's Manual for the Hispanic Community

Session 5 Handout Fats and Oils To Choose

Download Fats and Oils To Choose (25k) handout.

When you do use fats and oils, choose those with less saturated fat.

Lower in Saturated Fat—Choose More Often

• Canola, corn, olive, safflower, soybean, and sunflower oils
• Tub margarine (especially light margarine)

Higher in Saturated Fat—Choose Less Often

• Butter
• Solid shortening
• Lard
• Fatback
• Stick margarine

Read the Food Label To Choose Foods Lower in Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, and Cholesterol!

Use this handy list to help you choose products with the least amount of saturated fat.

• Canola oil 7%
• Safflower oil 10%
• Sunflower oil 12%
• Corn oil 13%
• Olive oil 15%
• Soybean oil 15%
• Margarine (tub) 17%
• Peanut oil 19%
• Margarine (stick) 20%
• Cottonseed oil 27%
• Chicken fat 30%
• Lard 43%
• Beef tallow 48%
• Palm oil 51%
• butterfat 68%
• Coconut oil 91%

Source: Adapted from the Canola Council of Canada. “Canola Oil Dietary Fat.” (http://www.canolacouncil.org/PDF/dietarychart.pdf#zoom=100) July 19, 2007.

Back to Session 5

Information on this page is taken from the English print version of “Your Heart, Your Life, A Community Health Worker's Manual.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH Publication No. 08-3674, Originally Printed 1999, Revised May 2008.

Last Updated March 2012