Introduction Label Reading Guidelines Food Groups Ingredient Substitutions Tips & Hints to Help You Manage Your Diet

Fats & Oils

Label Reading Guideline:
            Margarine: liquid oil should be the first fat ingredient listed

Servings Per Day:
            4 or 5

Serving Sizes:
        1 teaspoon vegetable oil
        1 teaspoon margarine
        1 teaspoon regular mayonnaise
        3 teaspoons light or low fat mayonnaise
        1 tablespoon regular salad dressing
        2 tablespoons light or low fat salad dressing

Helpful Hints

1. When eating in a restaurant, always ask for the salad dressing on the side.
2. Use light or low fat mayonnaise in dishes like tuna salad or potato salad.
3. Vegetable oil, mayonnaise and salad dressings are the best sources of unsaturated oil. Margarine is the least beneficial. Limit the servings of margarine to 2 or less per day.

Note: Fat-free salad dressings tend to have additional sugar and sodium in them.

To sauté: use a non-stick skillet without any fat use a regular skillet sprayed with vegetable oil spray use a small amount of water or broth instead of oil

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