Yucko!

Fat Content in Your Diet: Fat in Everyday Foods

Think of the foods that frequently make up your daily meals. Have you ever considered their fat content? Here are some commonly eaten foods and where they weigh in on fat (typically the bad kinds):

Average fast-food hamburger: 36 grams
Average fast-food fish sandwich: 24 grams 10
French fries: 8 grams
One ounce of potato chips: 10 grams
One slice of cheese pizza: 8 grams
Two ounces of bologna: 16 grams
One hot dog: 14 grams
Three slices of cooked bacon: 10 grams
One ounce cheddar cheese: 8 grams
One cup whole milk: 7 grams
Two tablespoons of peanut butter: 14 grams
One teaspoon of butter or margarine: 4 grams
One serving of most breads, bagels, and cereals: about 1 gram

If some of those numbers don't look that bad to you, pay attention to the amounts and serving sizes of each of them. When was the last time you ate only one ounce of potato chips, just 10 fries, or a single slice of pizza? So think about fat content before you indulge in a burger and fries for lunch followed by pizza for dinner.

Fat Content in Your Diet: Surprisingly High-Fat Foods

While the high fat content of certain foods is no surprise, you may not realize that many other foods are loaded with hidden fat:

Movie theater popcorn (because of the way it’s processed) Packaged meals with added sauces, butter, or oil Highly marbled red meats, including some cuts of beef and lamb — that white marbling is fat Chicken and other poultry if the skin is eaten Salad dressings Perhaps the biggest hidden sources of fats to watch out for are prepackaged snack foods and meals. They often contain dangerous trans fats — frequently listed as partially hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening in the ingredients — because they give these foods a longer shelf life. Trans fats are particularly unhealthy for your heart and cholesterol levels and should be avoided as much as possible.

While you might know that olive and vegetable oils are high in fat, so are nuts, olives, avocados, and certain fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines. These foods contain the good, unsaturated fats — just monitor how much you eat to control your weight.

Given the high fat content of so many foods, if you're not careful, you could exceed your entire daily fat allowance by lunchtime! Keep an eye on your fat intake, and opt for unsaturated fats in place of saturated and trans fats. Your health, your heart, and your waistline will thank you.