Fat in Foods: Part 1 and Part 2

Table of Contents

Slide #1: A Matter of Fat: Fat in Foods
Slide #2: Teaspoon Symbol
Slide #3: Bread and Baked Goods
Slide #4: Breakfast Cereals
Slide #5: Pasta and Noodles
Slide #6: Other Grains
Slide #7: Vegetables
Slide #8: Potatoes
Slide #9: Salads
Slide #10: Fruit Desserts
Slide #11: Milk
Slide #12: Yogourt
Slide #13: Cheese
Slide #14: Frozen Milk Products
Slide #15: Beef
Slide #16: Beef � Extra Lean Cuts
Slide #17: Chicken
Slide #18: Meat Alternatives
Slide #19: Comparison of Protein Sources
Slide #20: Snack Foods
Slide #21: Snack Foods
Slide #22: Fast Foods
Slide #23: Ready-Made or Frozen Meals
Slide #24: Additional Information
Slide #25: Acknowledgement

Speaker's Notes

The purpose of this presentation is to help you (adults) understand the sources of fat in the diet and to learn ways to reduce and balance the total amount of fat you eat.

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= 4 grams of fat

Speaker's Notes

Throughout the presentation, a teaspoon symbol will be used to represent 4 grams of fat.
Note for leaders:

• One teaspoon (or pat) of butter or margarine contains 4 grams of fat.
• One teaspoon of oil actually has 4.6 grams of fat.
• The amount of fat listed for the foods is a guide. Amounts are taken from the Canadian Nutrient File, package label, product web site listings or recipes.
• The amount of fat may differ depending on the brand, the recipe or how the food is prepared.
• This is a guide only.

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Speaker's Notes

• The next few slides show some examples of grain products that have different amounts of fat.
• Canada�s Food Guide to Healthy Eating suggests 5-12 servings of grain products each day.
• When selecting grain products, choose whole grains more often, such as whole wheat, oats, barley or rye, as they provide additional fibre.
• Often it is the hidden fat, or the fat we cook with, that adds to the total fat in our diet.
• In this example, the hidden fat in the muffin and the oil used to fry the donut add fat.
• A homemade muffin or a lower-fat muffin is a better choice.
• One way to reduce the fat when cooking muffins or breads such as banana bread is to replace up to half of the fat with yogourt or applesauce.
• Check the label � the peanut butter, the muffin and the donut may contain trans fat; however, peanut butter also provides other nutrients such as protein. 15 mL represents a half serving from the Meat and Alternatives food group.

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Slide #4: Breakfast Cereals

Speaker's Notes

• In this example of cereals, it is important to check the label � many flake cereals or cooked cereals are low in fat.
• However, the fat in granola type cereals depends on what is included in the cereal. The amount of nuts, coconut, clusters can all alter the amount of fat.
• Also check the specific amount of food:
  • The cereal box will suggest a 30 gram serving; this is about 1 cup of flake cereal but only 1/3 of a cup of granola.
  • Compare the amount with what you eat; if you eat twice the amount, then you are having double the amount of fat.

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Which pasta is the lowest in fat?

Speaker's Notes

Which of these pasta or noodle dishes is lowest in fat?
Answer: Pasta with tomato and meat sauce has the least amount of fat.

• Cooking in oil or adding cream or cheese sauces contributes more fat than a tomato-based sauce.
• Enjoy these higher-fat sauces less often.
• Try making the sauces with lower-fat milk products to reduce the fat.
  • For example, use skim milk or 1% milk when making a cheese sauce or try whole milk instead of cream for the alfredo sauce.

Note to leaders:
The homemade recipe for the Fettuccine alfredo is made with whipping cream, butter and parmesan cheese.

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Speaker's Notes

• It is important to try a variety of grain products each day.
• Remember to think about the way grains are cooked � frying any food increases the fat as oil is absorbed into the food.
• Try steamed rice with Chinese food instead of fried rice.

Note to leaders:
The risotto with mushrooms is from a recipe using butter. The fried rice with almonds is a pre-packaged product.

Speaker's Notes

• Most vegetables and fruit contain little or no fat.
• Exceptions are avocados and olives; both are sources of monounsaturated fat � a healthier type of fat.
• Fat found in vegetable dishes is usually from added fats such as butter or sauces or from the way the vegetables are prepared such as frying the onion rings.
• For a low-fat addition to vegetables, try lemon juice and herbs.

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Speaker's Notes

• Potatoes are one of the most popular vegetables.
• A baked, boiled, or microwaved potato has no fat.
• Again it is the cooking methods, such as frying, or sauces like gravy or cheese curds on the poutine that add fat.
• Choose fried potatoes less often and don�t supersize your order.
• Other lower-fat options for potatoes include:
  • Using chicken, beef or vegetable broth or buttermilk when making mashed potatoes.
  • Using yogourt or cottage cheese instead of mayonnaise or sour cream in salads or on baked potatoes.

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Which salad is highest in fat?
Which salad is lowest in fat?

Speaker's Notes

Here are four salads. Which one has the highest fat content? Which has the lowest fat content?
Answer:
The highest is the Caesar salad and the lowest is the Garden salad with vinegar or lemon juice.

Choose salads with care since many may have as many Calories or even more fat than other food choices. Let�s discuss types of salad dressings and how they influence the fat content:

• For example, creamy dressings would be higher in fat.
• The Caesar salad contains anchovies, mayonnaise, oil, croutons (baked with oil), parmesan cheese � all these ingredients contribute some fat.
• The Greek salad contains oil, olives and feta cheese which all contain fat.

• Ways to reduce the fat would be to ask for the dressings on the side so that you can control the amount; or to choose fat-reduced dressings.
• Adding a variety of raw vegetables will also increase the fibre and vitamin content of the salad.

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Speaker's Notes

• As with vegetables, fruits are basically fat-free.
• Adults need 5 to 10 servings of Vegetables and Fruit each day.
• One serving of fruit would be 1 apple, 1 orange or 1 banana.
• We often enjoy our fruit in baked goods � such as crisps or pies. These desserts must contain at least 1/2 cup of fruit to be considered a serving of Vegetables and Fruit.
• In these desserts the fat is found in the crispy topping and in the crust of the pie.
• One way to reduce the fat content in crisps is to use 30 mL of melted butter or margarine rather than 125 mL of solid mixed in with the oats and/or flour.
• Also try baking a pie without the top crust � just as tasty.

Note to leaders:
The brown sugar baked apple is from a recipe that uses butter.

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Speaker's Notes

• Adults need 2 to 4 servings of Milk Products each day.
• Fortunately, milk comes in a variety of fat levels from skim, which contains basically no fat, to homogenized, which contains 3.3% milk fat.
• Chocolate milk is usually made with 1% milk and is a great lower-fat treat. Both white and chocolate milk have the same nutrients.
• When having coffee or tea, try one of the milks instead of cream.

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Speaker's Notes

• Similar to liquid milk, the variety of yogourts is tremendous.
• There are fat-free yogourts right up to very creamy yogourts � choosing a low-fat version is a great snack and source of calcium.
• Another refreshing and thirst-quenching snack is a smoothie � blend yogourt, milk and fresh fruit.

• There are many variations of smoothies:
  • Yogourt, milk, fresh or frozen fruit
  • Yogourt, juice, fresh or frozen fruit
  • Juice and frozen fruit
    • Frozen fruit make the smoothie thicker and colder
    • Frozen yogourt can also be used (more of a milkshake).

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Speaker's Notes

• All Milk Products, including cheese, are good to excellent sources of calcium.
  • A good source of calcium has at least 165 mg of calcium or more per serving.
  • An excellent source of calcium has at least 275 mg of calcium or more per serving.
• A 50 gram serving of cheese is like two thumbs� worth.
• Avoid frying cheese � it just adds more fat.
• Try some of the wonderful lower-fat options on the market.
  • Partly skimmed mozzarella is always available.
  • At the grocery store the label on cheese will have a % B.F. or % M.F. Value � this indicates the butter fat or milk fat in the cheese.
  • Regular cheese varies in fat depending on the type of cheese.
    • For example cheddar would have a minimum of 31% M.F.
  • Lower-fat or light cheese is at least 25% less M.F. than the regular variety
  • Skim milk cheese is a maximum of 7% M.F.
• When choosing low-fat cheese, look for less than 20% M.F. on the label.

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Which frozen milk product has the most fat?

Speaker's Notes

Here are four delicious frozen milk products.
Can you pick the one that has the most fat? Or the least amount of fat?
Answer:
The ice milk has the least amount of fat and the premium ice cream has the most.

• Some of the soft serve ice creams are in fact ice milk and are lower in fat.
• Soft serve frozen yogourt is also lower in fat.
• Although sherbets or ices are a nice treat and low in fat, they are not a milk product and don�t provide calcium.
• When having an ice cream, serve it with lower-fat foods like fruit.
• If you like regular or premium ice cream, enjoy it in small amounts.

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Which beef option has the lowest fat level?

Speaker's Notes

Here are 4 different servings of beef. Do you know which one has the least amount of fat?
Answer: The trimmed sirloin steak has the least amount of fat.

• Adults need 2 to 3 servings of Meat and Alternatives each day.
• Choose leaner meats more often. There are many different cuts of beef that are considered lean or extra lean.
• Untrimmed meat and added gravy add to the fat in meat.
• For ground beef the maximum permitted fat content is
  • Regular ground beef � 30%
  • Medium ground beef � 23%
  • Lean ground beef � 17%
  • Extra lean ground beef � 10%
• The meatloaf in this slide is made with lean ground beef.
• Research in Canada shows that the fat content of ground beef is lower than the maximum levels permitted.
• Tips to reduce the fat in all ground beef:
  1. Crumble and pan-fry ground beef until well cooked; drain fat.
  2. Rinse the cooked beef with hot water in a colander or strainer.
  3. Shake to remove excess water and use in your favourite casserole or pasta sauce recipe.

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Speaker's Notes

• All the cuts of beef in this slide have been trimmed of all visible fat.
• All cuts of beef, except short ribs, when trimmed of visible fat contain no more than 10% fat.
• Most beef cuts, like those in the slide, are extra lean � that is, no more than 7.5% fat when trimmed of visible fat.
• Although 45% of the fat in beef is saturated, one-third of this is stearic acid, which does not affect blood cholesterol.

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Speaker's Notes

• In these examples leaving the skin on, breading and frying the chicken or having it in a meat pie all add to the amount of fat.
• Always remove the skin from chicken and choose to bake, broil or grill poultry instead of frying.
• Also remember that white meat has less fat than dark meat.

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Speaker's Notes

• There are many meat alternatives available to add variety to your diet.
• Legumes � peas, beans, lentils � are a lower-fat, high-fibre choice.
• Other suggestions include eggs, soy products � like tofu, peanuts and peanut butter as well as nuts and seeds.
• Key to keeping fat intake down when eating meat alternatives is the cooking method, especially frying.
• Try lower-fat cooking methods, such as poaching, stir-frying and steaming, more often.

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Speaker's Notes

• Meat, fish, poultry and tofu (soybeans) are comparable when it comes to total fat.
• All are excellent sources of protein.
• Choose a variety of lean meats, poultry and fish, as well as dried peas, beans and lentils.

Speaker's Notes

• There are many different snack foods on the market today.
• Sometimes, we tend to select the items we think are more convenient or readily available.
• These examples are traditional snack foods when watching television, or a movie.
• To reduce the fat of items like popcorn and potato chips, try the lower-fat versions of popcorn or baked potato chips which have a lot less fat.
• Although we think of peanuts as a snack food, they differ from the rest as they are also a meat alternative. Peanuts are higher in total fat, but low in saturated fat. They also provide protein and fibre.
  • 60 mL (1/4 cup) of nuts or peanuts is one serving from the Meat and Alternatives food group.

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Which snack food has the lowest amount of fat?

Speaker's Notes

Here are more examples of snack foods. Which has the lowest amount of fat?
Answer: Raisins have the least amount of fat.

• Dried fruit is an excellent choice and can easily be stored in your desk at work:
  • For dental health, brushing teeth after eating dried fruit is recommended.
• For items like granola bars, check the label. Each variety contains different ingredients altering the fat content as well as the fibre level.
• Granola bars that are covered in chocolate or contain chocolate chips are usually higher in fat.

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Which fast food option has the lowest amount of fat?

What should you look for when choosing fast foods?

Speaker's Notes

• We�ve all been to fast food restaurants and wondered what we should order.
• Some restaurants are now offering �healthier� choices.

• Breaded and deep-fried foods or those with added sauces tend to be higher in fat � choose these less often.
• Also, depending on the fat source used for frying, deep-fried foods may contain higher levels of trans fats.

• Reasonable serving sizes (not supersized).
• Items that are not fried.
• Items without a lot of sauces, or ask for your burger or chicken sandwich without the sauce, or ask for sauce on the side and control the amount.
• Ask for lower-fat salad dressings.
• Look for grilled and not breaded items � many chicken sandwiches are breaded and fried. Choose the grilled chicken instead.

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Speaker's Notes

• Sometimes it is easier to pick up ready-made dinners at the grocery store so that when you come home from a busy day, the food can be easily and quickly prepared.
• Here are some examples of frozen or ready-made meals that you can buy at the grocery store.
  • Prepared products vary in the amount of fat depending on how they are made.
• All of these would come in packages, so will be required to have a Nutrition Facts table.
  • Check the label for both the ingredients and the % Daily Value for fat � this will help you choose products with lower levels of fat.
  • Use the % Daily Value on the Nutrition Facts tables to compare products � the label will quickly tell you which is higher in fat, but don�t forget to check the specific amount of food at the top of the Nutrition Facts table. How much would you eat?
• The quiche pie pastry, like the pastry in meat pies or fruit pies, is a good example of a source of hidden fat.

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Nutrition Labelling resources:
www.healthcanada.ca/nutritionlabelling
www.healthyeatingisinstore.ca/
Canada�s Food Guide to Healthy Eating:
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpfb-dgpsa/onpp-bppn/food_guide_e.html
Nutrition information and activities:
http://www.dietitians.ca/
Recipes and more nutrition information about beef:
http://www.beefinfo.org/

Written by: Laura Pasut, MSc, RD, Nutridata Consulting Services

Developed by: The team of Registered Dietitians at the Beef Information Centre

June 2004