Quiz – The Math On Fats
Your body needs fat. In case you thought it was all bad. It’s the types of fat that make the difference—getting monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats from a balanced diet gives you energy and supports cell growth. But saturated fats and trans fats found in beef, butter, cheese, and processed foods can negatively affect your cholesterol levels, increasing heart disease risk. We’ve run the numbers on all the types—take our quiz to learn more:
1. How many calories are in 1 gram of fat?
A. 5
B. 9
C. 11
D. 18
2. One avocado has more fat in it than two slices of Canadian bacon.
A. True
B. False
3. Cooking oils and shortenings are ____ percent fat, and contain 13-14 grams of fat per tablespoon.
A. 25
B. 50
C. 75
D. 100
4. A lean roast beef sandwich with cheddar cheese and mayonnaise has 31 grams of fat, but you can cut that amount significantly by switching the meat to turkey.
A. True
B. False
5. If you consume 2,000 calories a day and want to limit your daily amount of fat to no more than 30 percent, how many grams of fat can you eat? (Hint: you’ll need the answer from question 1.)
A. 32 grams
B. 60 grams
C. 67 grams
D. 72 grams
6. The best way to avoid unhealthy trans fat, which can raise your LDL cholesterol levels, is to ____.
A. Cut your amount of daily calories
B. Eat fewer processed foods
C. Burn what you consume through exercise
Answers:
1. B. 9. All types of fat have 9 calories, but monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are beneficial to your health when eaten in moderation.
2. A. True. One avocado has 30 grams of fat, more than half of which is healthier monounsaturated fat. However, it has 4.5 grams of saturated fat as well, which is more than the amount in two slices of Canadian bacon.
3. D. 100 percent. Vegetable oils such as canola and olive are mostly monounsaturated fats, while shortenings such as lard contain more saturated fat.
4. B. False. Switching to turkey will only take off 2.5 grams, because the cheddar cheese and regular mayo also contain a lot of fat. You can get about 7.5 grams off the sandwich by substituting lettuce, tomato, and no-fat mayo or mustard.
5. C. 67 grams. To figure out your healthy limit, multiply your calories per day by 0.30. Then divide that number by 9. For example, if you consume 1,800 calories a day instead of 2,000, your total fat should be no more than 60 grams.
6. B. Eat fewer processed foods, such as baked goods, where most trans fats are found. Also, be aware that a food nutrition label can read 0 grams of trans fat if each serving contains less than 0.5 grams.
Source: The Health Library at healthlibrary.sjchs.org.