For cooking and salad dressings, choose oils that are vegetable-based or seed-based. Some common healthy oils are:
- Canola oil
- Corn oil
- Peanut oil
- Olive oil
- Safflower oil
- Soybean oil
- Sunflower oil
Other foods that are naturally high in healthy oils include:
- Fish (such as salmon, mackerel, and herring)
- Nuts (such as sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds, and walnuts)
Limit the use of solid fats. Solid fats are solid when they're kept at room temperature, like butter. These fats often contain saturated fats or trans fats (unhealthy fat) and should be replaced with healthier oils whenever possible. Solid fats include:
- Butter
- Beef or chicken fat
- Stick margarine
- Shortening
- Lard
- Chicken skin or turkey skin
Trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol can raise "bad" (LDL) cholesterol levels, which increases the risk for heart disease. To lower your risk for heart disease, cut back on foods containing saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.
This information is provided by the Department of Public Health.
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