Choose Fats With Your Heart in Mind
Fats contribute flavor and energy. Their type, amount and what they replace all matter in an overall eating pattern.
Publisher: HealthyHeartChoices · Content updated 2026-10-22
Familiar sources
Butter, full-fat dairy, fatty meats, coconut oil and palm oil can supply saturated fat. Olive and canola oils, nuts, seeds and foods such as avocado provide unsaturated fats. Many foods contain a mixture; labels help you compare.
Replace some, rather than just adding more
Consider using a measured amount of olive or canola oil instead of butter for a suitable cooking task. Replacing some saturated-fat sources with unsaturated-fat sources is different from adding extra oil to an unchanged meal. Oils and nuts remain energy-dense.
Keep flavor and function
A different fat may change browning, texture or the way a recipe sets. Use a supported recipe or stated cooking ratio rather than assuming every substitution works one-for-one. Look at protein and sodium too when comparing foods.
A practical example
Practical cooking example: use the olive oil already measured in the site’s spinach, mushroom & ricotta omelet rather than adding butter as well. Keep the recipe’s ricotta amount, and enjoy the mushrooms and herbs for flavor. The existing recipe estimate is not a medical outcome prediction.
Sources
- American Heart Association — Saturated Fats
- American Heart Association — Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations
Supporting source content checked 2026-10-22.
General food education, not individualized medical advice. No professional review is documented for this article. Source consultation is not dietitian or medical review.