Weighing in on Dietary Fats

Weighing in on Dietary Fats
One way to cut down on fat this Thanksgiving is to simply choose smaller portion sizes. Elena Veselova/Shutterstock.com
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With the winter holidays upon us, you’ll likely be surrounded by family, friends, and plenty of good food. Many of these foods, though, can be high in fat. Learn which fats are naughty and which are nice to your health. Then you can make smarter food choices.

We need a certain amount of fat in our diets to stay healthy. Fats provide needed energy in the form of calories. Fats help our bodies absorb important vitamins—called fat-soluble vitamins—including vitamins A, D, and E. Fats also make foods more flavorful and help us feel full. Fats are especially important for infants and toddlers because dietary fat contributes to proper growth and development.

National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
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A part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NIH is the largest biomedical research agency in the world.
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