> Low Fat Basics> FAQs

Which Fats Should I Eat?
We need to eat dietary fat for a variety of reasons, but which ones should we eat? Choose mostly unsaturated fats. Here are some good examples.

How Much Do You Know About Fat?
How much do you know about fat? Try this quiz and see.

What are the Main Sources of Saturated Fat?
Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol putting us at risk of heart disease and stroke. But what are the chief sources of saturated fat, and how can we reduce our intake?

Can I Eat Cheese on a Low Fat Diet?
Surely cheese is off the menu if you're trying to eat low fat. Not necessarily. Cheese is a good source of protein, calcium and phosphorus, but it's also a major source of saturated fat in our diet. What should we do?

What Are Omega-3 Fatty Acids?
Even if we're trying to eat low fat, it's vital to our overall health and wellbeing that we include some fat in our diet, especially unsaturated fats. In particular, it's important to include omega-3 fatty acids. Find out why, and where you can get these fats.

Pecan Pie vs. Pumpkin Pie
If you're trying to eat healthy at Thanksgiving, is pecan pie or pumpkin pie the better choice? Neither is low fat, but one has a nutritional edge.

What are Skinny Mashed Potatoes?
Sometimes a recipe will suggest serving skinny mashed potatoes alongside a low-fat entree. What do we mean by skinny mashed potatoes?

Do Cooking Oils Contain Saturated Fat?
One way to cut saturated fat in our diets is to choose liquid oils over solid fats, but cooking oils are not saturated-fat-free.

Can I Still Eat Beef as Part of a Low-Fat Diet?
Beef is a source of saturated fat and cholesterol. Can we still eat beef and follow a low-fat diet? Yes, so long as you bear a few things in mind.

What is Egg Substitute and Does it Contain Eggs?
Egg substitute is ideal for those who need to lower their intake of fat and cholesterol, but what exactly is egg substitute, and does it contain eggs?

Can We Eat Peanut Butter on a Low Fat Diet?
Peanut butter is hardly a low-fat food, but a peanut butter sandwich using whole grain bread, or some apples with a peanut butter dip can make a nutritious snack. So the question is: should we really eat peanut butter if we're eating low fat?

Avian Flu and Poultry - Bird Flu and Safe handling of Chicken
Concerns about avian flu, or bird flu, have prompted questions about whether we should continue to eat chicken and other poultry.

Is Extra-Light Olive Oil a Low Fat or Low Calorie Cooking Oil?
Some believe extra-light olive oil must be low fat or lower in calories than regular olive oil, but this is not the case. Why, then, is this olive oil labeled light or extra-light?

Can I Eat More Than One Low Fat Cookie?
Just because something is deemed low fat does not mean it is low calorie. Low fat treats are usually high in sugar, which can equally lead to weight gain.

Can I Eat Shrimp as Part of a Low Fat Diet?
Shrimp are high in cholesterol so should we include them as part of a low fat diet?

Partially and Fully Hydrogenated Fats
How can foods containing hydrogenated oils be labeled trans-fat-free or display 0g trans fats?

Should Children be on Low Fat Diets?
Given that nearly two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, should our kids be on low fat diets?

What Does Fat Free Really Mean?
When something is said to be fat free, does this mean there is no fat at all, and can we eat as much of it as we like?

Can Eggs Be Part of a Low Fat Diet?
Can eggs be part of a low fat diet? What about the cholesterol in eggs? Are there any benefits to eating eggs?

Which is Better - Butter or Margarine?
Is butter better or worse for us than margarine? Neither is ideal, especially if we following a low fat diet.

How Much Fat Should We Eat?
How much fat should we eat? Whether or not you are following a low fat diet, this is an important question. The government's new dietary guidelines provide the answer.

Calculating Our Fat Intake
If you're on a low fat diet, how do you calculate your fat intake? The nutrition facts label can help, but you need to know what to do with some of the information it provides.

Low Fat Cooking Definition
What exactly is low fat cooking? Is it some kind of restrictive diet that requires us to eliminate particular foods? Find out what we mean, and discover whether low fat cooking is for you.

Switching Milk
Although 2% milk has less fat than whole milk, it is not a low fat choice, as some people believe. Strictly, it counts as reduced fat. Drinking 2% milk should only be a temporary step on the way to drinking either 1% or, better still, fat free milk.

Cooking Tools and Equipment
Do we need any special tools and equipment for low fat cooking?

Which Low Fat Cookbooks Should I buy?
With so many low fat or special diet cookbooks out there, it's hard to know which ones we should have. Here are some that are worth having.

Low Fat Jewish Cookbooks
Jewish cooking is not traditionally low fat but there are a few cookbooks out there that offer low fat alternatives to traditonal recipes.