Here's a description of the kinds of fats and oils you're likely to find:
Saturated Fat
• Fats and oils high in saturated fatty acids tend to become hard at room temperature. Butter, lard and tallow from animals, and coconut, palm and palm kernel oils from plants are common examples. These saturated fats raise blood cholesterol and should be avoided.
• Use liquid vegetable oils that have no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon when cooking requires using fat. For example: to brown lean meats and to pan or oven-fry fish and poultry.
Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fat
• Oils that stay liquid at room temperature are high in unsaturated fats. They include corn, safflower, soybean, sunflower, olive and canola (rapeseed) oils. All are low in saturated fatty acids and can be used to help lower blood cholesterol in a diet low in saturated fatty acids.
• Safflower is the most polyunsaturated oil. Soybean, sunflower, corn and sesame oils follow in descending order. Where a brand name does not specify the type of oil, read the fine print. Some oils now on the market are mixtures and you should know what you are buying. Canola oil, olive oil and peanut oil are primarily monounsaturated. They appear to lower blood cholesterol when consumed in a diet low in saturated fatty acids.
Hydrogenated Oils
• These are ordinarily found in liquid form at room temperature but have been artificially hardened to produce margarines and shortenings. Their effect on blood cholesterol depends on how much they are hydrogenated. It's best to look for margarines that have the hydrogenated oil listed as the second ingredient.
