The last band on the pyramid is the yellow band which represents oils. Oils are liquid at room temperature and are the unsaturated (good) type. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are essential for good health and contain Vitamin E--a vital nutrient. Olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil, and cottonseed oil contain these unsaturated fats. They do not contain any cholesterol and are found in foods such as some fish, avocados, and nuts. Mayonnaise, soft tub margarine and salad dressings also contain these oils. These foods should be used in small amounts to flavor foods because they are high in calories and fat. This can cause weight gain in large amounts but are healthy in small servings.This group does not include trans fat or saturated fat. Saturated fat is solid at room temperature. Examples include butter, lard, chicken and beef fat. These types of fat contribute to plague buildup and heart disease as well as increases in LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol. Palm kernel oil and coconut oil are both saturated fat based oils and should be avoided.
The daily recommended intake of oils is between 5-6 teaspoons which most of us get easily. An example of an entire day’s intake is one tablespoon of mayonnaise on a sandwich, and one tablespoon of margarine on toast. Other examples of a serving is 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is equal to 4 teaspoons of oil; 1 ounce of nuts is equal to 3 teaspoons of oil; and a half of a medium avocado is equal to 3 teaspoons of oil. For a list of other serving size equivalents visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/oils_count.html.
Healthy Action Step: Switch the type of fat you use on food. For example, instead using butter on bread, brush extra virgin olive oil on it. Dipping bread in olive oil works as well.
