Thursday, May 19, 2011

Watching cholesterol? Go easy on the cheese!

We know we’re not supposed to eat too much saturated fat, because it can increase our cholesterol and raise our risk of heart disease and stroke. But what exactly does “too much” mean?

The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than 7% of your calories from saturated fat. If you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, aim for less than 16 grams, or 140 calories worth, of saturated fat. You might think you come nowhere close to that if you avoid ribs, burgers and butter. But, believe it or not, just two ounces of cheddar cheese provides 60% of your daily recommended intake — that’s more than what’s in a scoop of Häagen-Dazs!!

If you love cheese, opt for reduced fat, which contains half the amount of saturated fat as its full-fat counterpart.

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