Cholesterol Chart

Cholesterol Chart and Saturated Fat

You may be surprised to learn that, ingesting cholesterol does not raise the level of blood cholesterol nearly as much as eating a type of fat called ‘saturated fat’. Saturated fat, like cholesterol, is found primarily in animal products like butter, cheese, cream, whole milk, ice cream, lard and marbled meats. Just making the change to vegetable oil will not eliminate the problem.  Some vegetable oils also contain high levels of saturated fat. Regrettably, some of these oils are frequently used in our favorite commercially baked goods, coffee creams and non-dairy whipped toppings. Oils like palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter are all very high in saturated fat, so make sure you read the labels before you buy.

Lower Your Own Cholesterol Level By Consuming Less Saturated Fat

You must use oils low in saturated fat, even though you will notice that all of the oils listed in the chart below (except butter) contain no measurement of dietary cholesterol, Canola oil (7% saturated fat) is one of the best available cooking oils.  Olive oil (14% saturated fat) is also good to use.

One more criteria that make this chart just a little bit misleading.  Fat that is hard at room temperature, such as stick margarine, is not good for your blood cholesterol.  The reason for this is that margarine has been hydrogenated (hardened) and that process adds trans fatty acids.

Trans fatty acids may be as bad for you as saturated fat, so stick margarine is equal to butter as far as your blood cholesterol is concerned.  Diet and soft margarines may be a better buy.  Also look for brands of margarine or shortening that top the ingredient list with oils rich in monounsaturated fat, like canola oil.

Try Prune Puree to reduce cholesterol naturally

Try substituting butter and margarine with a fruit puree.  Chefs who specialize in nutrition have become excited about using prune puree because of the significant difference in fat grams as well as calories:

§ – One cup of prune puree has 407 calories and one gram of fat

§ – One cup of butter has 1,600 calories and 182 grams of fat

§ – One cup of oil has 1,944 calories and 218 grams of fat

You can see now why bakers are excited about prunes!

Prunes also contain large amounts of pectin which helps to hold in the air bubbles that make baked goods rise.  They also have large amounts of a sugar alcohol, called sorbitol, which helps keep baked goods moist and gives them that flaky, tender taste of shortening or butter.

Prune puree is a particularly popular alternative but try using applesauce and apricots as replacements. You will need to plan quantities carefully when using fruits like applesauce and apricots as fat substitutes because the baked goods tend to become soggy and moldy within a day or two. Also, when baking with substitutes, use cake flours instead of regular all purpose flour.  It will keep the baked goods tender.  Don’t over bake your fat reduced recipes as they will tend to dry out quicker than traditional recipes that call for butter or oil.

Have a look as this lowering cholesterol fat chart that compares the different types of fat in a variety of oils

Cholesterol Comparison Chart

Cholesterol Chart showing the comparisons between different oils

Product	Saturated	Cholesterol	Polyunsaturated	Monounsaturated
Canola Oil	7%	0 mg	35%	58%
Safflower Oil	9%	0 mg	78%	12%
Sunflower Oil	11%	0 mg	42%	47%
Corn Oil	13%	0 mg	62%	25%
Olive Oil	14%	0 mg	12%	74%
Hydrogenated-Sunflower Oil	14%	0 mg	40%	48%
Sesame Oil	15%	0 mg	44%	42%
Soybean Oil	15%	0 mg	60%	24%
Margarine, bottled	17%	0 mg	47%	36%
Margarine, tub	17%	0 mg	37%	46%
Peanut Oil	18%	0 mg	33%	49%
Margarine, stick	19%	0 mg	33%	47%
Cocoa Butter	62%	0 mg	3%	35%
Butter	66%	31 mg	4%	30%
Palm Kernel Oil	87%	0 mg	2%	11%
Coconut Oil	92%	0 mg	2%	6%

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