Health Canada
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What Type and Amount of Fat Do I Need?
Include a small amount - 30 to 45 mL (2 to 3 Tbsp) - of unsaturated fat each day to get the fat you need. This amount includes oil used for cooking, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise.
Unsaturated vegetable oils include:
- Canola
- Corn
- Flaxseed
- Olive
- Peanut
- Soybean
- Sunflower
Limit butter, hard margarine, lard and shortening.
5 mL (1 tsp) of soft non-hydrogenated margarine on your toast or bread5 mL (1 tsp) of canola oil in your pan to make scrambled eggs15 mL (1 Tbsp) of vinegar and oil type salad dressing (e.g. Balsamic, Italian, raspberry vinaigrette) on your salad.5 mL (1 tsp) of canola or olive oil used to cook your stir-fry.Read Food Labels
Choose soft margarines that are
low
in saturated and trans fats.
When
buying margarine, use the Nutrition
Facts table to compare how much saturated and
trans fats it contains. Choose a non-hydrogenated margarine with two grams or less of saturated and trans fat combined, for the amount of margarine listed in the Nutrition Facts table.
Non-hydrogenated margarine
Prepare foods with small amounts
of
unsaturated fats and use less
fat
when cooking
- Use small amounts of vegetable oils for stir-frying or sautéing - a teaspoon is usually enough.
- Heat oil before frying to prevent the food from soaking up the oil.
- Fill a spray bottle with vegetable oil to spray your pans instead of greasing.
- Substitute soft margarine for hard margarine, butter or lard in baking.
- Make your own salad dressing with canola or olive oil. Add balsamic, rice wine or other vinegars. Flavour with lemon juice, dry or Dijon mustard, garlic and herbs.
- Keep oils in a cool dark cupboard or in the refrigerator to prevent them from going rancid.
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