Fat and Cholesterol Information

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The Skinny on Fats

Part 3: Confusing labels: what does "light" really mean?

More of this Feature

• Part 1: Fat substitutes
• Part 2: Fat terminology
• Part 3: Confusing labels
• Part 4: Healthy Diet Recipes

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• Main Recipe Index

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Fat math
You should already be in the habit of reading the labels on all commercial food products. Newer labels include not only the total fat, but also the amount of saturated fat in a product. These labels base their percentage on a 2,000 calorie-per-day diet, of which no more than 30% should consist of any type of fats. 1 fat gram equals 9 calories, thus no more than 700 fat calories per day should be ingested, based on the aforementioned standard. If your caloric intake is less, adjust your fat intake accordingly. Newer labels will also provide cholesterol facts, which should be limited to no more than 300 milligrams per day.

Optimum cholesterol levels are measured not only overall, but by the ratio of LDL (bad) to HDL (good). The recommendation is to keep your cholesterol levels between 200-239 milligrams. Higher numbers are cause for great alarm. However, one can have high cholesterol levels, yet still be considered good as long as the ratio follows the guidelines. The ratio of cholesterol to HDL should not exceed 6:1. The ratio of LDL to HDL should ideally be 3:1 and not exceed 4:1.

According to the National Heart and Lung Association, a mere 1.0 gram of Omega-3 fatty acids daily can reduce heart disease in men by 40%. To give you an idea of how much you would have to eat, a 4-ounce serving of Atlantic salmon has more than 2 grams of Omega-3 fatty acids and a 4-ounce serving of tuna has .08 gram.

Understanding fat labels
• Low fat: 3 grams of fat or less per normal serving.

• Lean: Meat or poultry with less than 10 grams of fat, less than 4 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams. However, companies having product names with "Lean" in the title prior to November 27, 1991 may retain those product names.

• Extra lean: Meat or poultry with less than 5 grams of fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams.

• Low in calories: Cannot contain more than 40 calories per normal serving.

• Light or lite: Foods that have 1/3 fewer calories than a comparable product, or have half the fat content of a comparable product, and the label must specify which one. If the adjective light is used to describe the taste, smell or color, it must be clearly stated as to what the term refers. It can also refer to products that have 50% of the sodium of normal products, but must be clearly specified as well.

• Fat-free: Foods with 0.5 grams fat per serving and no added fat or oil.

• Reduced fat: No more than half the fat of an identified comparable food.

• Low sodium: 140 milligrams or less per serving.

• Low cholesterol: Contains no more than 20 milligrams of cholesterol per typical serving size.

• Cholesterol-free: Food with 2 milligrams or less of cholesterol per serving and less than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.

• "Good" source: Foods can be labeled as a good source of vitamins or nutrients if they provide at least 10% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA).

• "High" source: Must provide at least 20% of RDA.

• Milk exception: Although 2% milk does not fit within the above terminology, it can still be called low-fat. (It contains 5 grams.)

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