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There are two basic types of fats grouped by their chemical structure. There are many kinds of vegetable oils and fats. Each is used differently in your bodies and has a different effect on the health. Because on its nine calories per gram, fat is the nutrient but eating too much fat can increase the risk of diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke or high blood pressure. Nutritionists recommend that you should get no more than 30% of your calories from fat to reduce your risk of these diseases. In vegetable oils and fats one should choose from:

• Vegetable oils and fats or margarines which have liquid vegetable oil as the first listed ingredient and have no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. Examples are canola, corn, olive, safflower, sesame, soybean and sunflower oils

• Liquid or tub margarines that are low in saturated fat and trans fat. Trans fats raise LDL – bad - cholesterol and total cholesterol
• Reduced-fat and no-fat salad dressings and mayonnaise with no more than 1 gram of saturated fat per tablespoon

The shopping and preparation tips are:

• Use sparingly fats and oils. You should use the ones lowest in saturated fat and cholesterol for cooking, baking and any other application
• Use sparingly hydrogenated shortenings. AND from vegetable fat such as corn oil or canola oil. These are lower in saturated fat than those made from animal or vegetable fat blends

• Use reduced fat or no fat salad dressings with salads, for dips or as marinade
• Use cooking styles that add little or no fat to food, and follow this practice outside too
• Remember to account the invisible fat in bakery and snack foods as well as fats used in cooking, on vegetables, breads and prepared meals. Be it vegetable oils and fats or fats of animal origin. It makes for a healthy eating habit
• Coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil have more saturated fat even though they maybe vegetable oils. No vegetable origin fat or oil contains cholesterol

Vegetable Oils and Fats