Dallas ? The American Heart Assn. on Monday released new guidelines for eating trans fats. It’s the first big health group to urge a specific limit on trans fats: less than 1 percent of total calories.

The big lifestyle advice comes with getting in the habit of cooking with healthier oils and balancing how much you eat with how much you exercise.

Trans fats, or trans fatty acids such as partially hydrogenated oils, are in many cookies, crackers, breads, cakes, French fries and other fried foods. They contribute to heart disease risk by raising LDL, or the bad cholesterol.

Other advice offered Monday by the heart association:

¢ Limit saturated fats to no more than 7 percent of daily calories. Most Americans consume 11 percent.

¢ Get at least half an hour of exercise a day.

¢ Eat colorful fruits and vegetables (not fruit juices).

¢ Choose whole-grain, high-fiber foods.

¢ Eat fish, especially oily fish like salmon and trout, at least twice a week.

¢ Use fat-free and 1 percent fat milk and other dairy products.

¢ Minimize calories from beverages and avoid ones with added sugars.

¢ Add little or no salt to foods.