Fat

Alternative names:

diet and fat; lipids; monounsaturated fat; polyunsaturated fat; saturated fat

Food sources:

Saturated fats are found in foods from both animal and vegetable sources. Animal sources include meat, poultry, and whole-milk dairy products such as cheese, milk, ice cream, cream, butter, and lard. Vegetable sources--including coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils--are also high in saturated fat.

Unsaturated fat is a type of fat that is usually liquid at refrigerator temperature. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat are two kinds of unsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat is found in large amounts in foods from plants, including olive oil, peanut, avocado, and canola oil (from rapeseed). It is a slightly unsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fat is highly unsaturated fat that is found in large amounts in foods from plants, including safflower, sunflower, corn, and soybean oil. Omega-three fatty acid (fish oil) is a polyunsaturated fat found in seafood, particularly fish that is fatty. Seafood is lower in saturated fat than meat.