Q: I am 30 years old. Could you let me know which foods are rich in saturated fat? My report shows: total cholesterol - 257 mg%; HDL - 41.6 mg%; LDL - 167.6 mg%; VLDL - 47.8 mg %; Triglycerides - 239 mg%; CHOL/HDL ratio - 6.2 and LDL/HDL Ratio - 4.0. Can I consume groundnuts with these cholesterol levels? I think it is rich in protein. Also, could you give some examples for monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids?

A:Saturated fat is found mostly in foods from animals and some plants. Foods from animals include beef, beef fat, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, lard, poultry, butter, cream, milk, cheese and other dairy products made from whole and two per cent milk. All of these foods also contain dietary cholesterol. Foods from plants that contain saturated fat include coconut, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil and cocoa butter. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the two unsaturated fats. They are found in many fish, nuts, seeds and oils from plants. Some examples of foods that contain these fats are salmon, trout, avocados, olives, walnuts and liquid vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive and sunflower. Both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats may help lower your blood cholesterol level when you use them in place of saturated and trans fats in your diet. But a moderate intake of all types of fat is best. You can consume moderate amount of groundnuts, although they don't have cholesterol, but they are high in fat. 1 oz (~ 30 g) of dry roasted groundnut contains 170 kCal, total fat of 15 g, saturated fat of 2 g, cholesterol 0 mg and 7 g of proteins.