Your doctor/practitioner has determined that it would be beneficial for you to choose lowfat, low saturated fat and low cholesterol foods. The following is a guide to help you achieve this goal. At some point, your doctor may refer you for counseling with a registered dietitian.
MILK PRODUCTS
CHOOSE
Milk products containing 0-1 % milk fat
Nonfat and skim fluid milk
Nonfat or 1% buttermilk
Evaporated skim milk
Nonfat and 1% fat yogurt (regular or frozen)
Nonfat ice cream or ice milk
Sherbet made with skim milk
Low fat cheeses – labeled as containing no more than 3 grams of fat/ounce
Fat-free cheese, fat-free cream cheese, fat-free sour cream, fat-free cottage cheese
(Please Note: These reduced fat and fat-free products may be high in sodium)
AVOID
Whole milk (4% milk fat)
Low fat milk with 1 ½ - 2% milk fat
Dried, condensed or evaporated whole milk
Whole milk ice cream, whole milk frozen or regular yogurt
Creams of all kinds
Half & Half light, heavy, whipping, and sour cream
Non-dairy cream substitutes - powder and liquid (especially those made with palm oil)
Cream cheese (4% milk fat)
Cottage cheese (4% milk fat)
Natural and processed cheeses containing more than 3 grams of fat/ounce
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MEAT AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES
CHOOSE
Meatless main dishes prepared with: Legumes (dried beans and peas), lentils Tofu (soybean curd), seitan, Egg whites, egg substitutes
Fish and shellfish All kinds allowed, but limit use of shrimp, lobster and sardines to no more than one serving (3-4 ounces) of one of these each week.
Skinless chicken and turkey
CHOOSE LESS FREQUENTLY
Red meats Choosing from very lean cuts of beef, veal, pork, lamb, less than 10% fat ground beef.
*Ideally, limit red meat consumption to 5-7 ounces/week
AVOID
Egg yolks
High fat luncheon meats i.e., : bologna, salami, liverwurst, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, etc.
Fried and breaded seafood
Prime cuts or meat
Highly marbled and fatty meats i.e.,: Short ribs, spare ribs, sweet breads, ribeye roast or steak, regular ground ground meat, ground lamb, frankfurters, sausage, kielbasa, chourico, linguica, bacon scrapple
Organ meats i.e., : chitterlings, gizzard, heart, kidney, sweetbreads, and liver
Chicken, turkey, and duck skin.
AVOID
Butter, lard, salt pork, beef tallow, chicken fat, coconut, coconut oil, bacon drippings, ham hocks, meat fat and drippings, shortening, suet, regular margarines, chocolate (except cocoa powder), palm oil, palm kernal oil.
ANY HYDROGENATED OIL
GRAINS, BREAD, CEREAL, PASTA, STARCHY BEGETABLES
CHOOSE
Low fat breads, bagels, english muffins, rolls, pita bread
Whole grains (buckwheat, barley, bulgar wheat millet)
Plain brown, white, wild rice, and couscous
Hot cereals (all kinds which contain less than or equal to 2 grams of fat/serving)
Cold cereals