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Fats

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Fats

Written by Dr Dan Rutherford, GP

Saturated fat

Some fat is essential in everyone's diet.

Fats provide a source of concentrated energy as well as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Fat transports these vital nutrients around the body.

We also need fat for hormone metabolism, healthy skin and hair, tissue repair, protecting the internal organs and to prevent excessive loss of body heat.

There are two main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated.

Excessive amounts of fat are found in saturated animal fats and trans-fatty acids. These types of fat raise cholesterol levels and increase your risk of many chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are found mainly in the following animal and dairy products:

meat

butter

cream

cheese

eggs

lard

full fat milk

suet and dripping

full fat yoghurt.

Saturated fats are also found in hard margarines that are formed by the 'hydrogenation' of vegetable oils.

Hydrogenation increases the shelf-life of food, but it also creates trans fats (trans-fatty acids) that are harmful for health.

Hydrogenated margarine or butter is often used for making cakes, biscuits and pastry.

Unsaturated fat

Unsaturated fats are generally liquid at room temperature.

They come from vegetable sources and are also found in oily fish and in soft margarines labelled 'high in polyunsaturates'.

Unsaturated fats contain essential fatty acids that cannot be manufactured by the body. This means you need to get them from food.

Good sources of unsaturated fats include:

avocados (one quarter of an avocado contains 5g of unsaturated fat)

unsalted nuts (cashew, brazil, pecan, walnut)

seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame).

Omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids play an important role in the functions of the body that promote health and wellbeing.

In particular, studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids protect against heart disease. Oily fish is the best source of omega-3:

salmon

tuna

trout

sardines

mackerel

pilchards

herring.

Current advice is to eat oily fish two to three times a week. While oily fish is the best source of essential fatty acids, other omega-rich foods are:

corn oil

flaxseed oil

nut oil

safflower oil

sunflower oil

virgin olive oil.

Tips for healthy living

We tend to eat a lot of fat, so aim to include some essential fatty acids in your daily diet and reduce your intake of saturated fats. Below are a few ways to improve your diet.

Swap saturated fat for unsaturated

Cook with vegetable oil instead of lard, butter or margarine, and use sparingly. Sesame seed oil is a good choice for stir-frying.

Pour warmed virgin olive oil on bread instead of butter or margarine.

Replace the meat in your Sunday roast with salmon or trout.

Dress your salads with virgin or nut oils instead of mayonnaise.

Instead of reaching for crisps or chocolate, try one of these: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, unsalted nuts or raw vegetables.

Get the most from your food

Check food labels for fat content before you put something in your trolley. It can be surprising how much (and how little) fat some foods contain. Knowing what food contains means you can find a healthier, tasty alternative.

Poach or lightly grill your oily fish to maintain the essential fatty acid content.

Purchase and store your vegetable oils in dark frosted glass bottles. Light and heat can easily destroy the oils' nutrients.

Make healthier choices

Choose lean meat or poultry and remove the excess fat before cooking. This means the skin on chicken breasts, the rind on bacon, the crackling on pork.

Avoid margarine that contains hydrogenated oil. This will be stated on the packaging, so check your favourite brand. Margarines made without hydrogenated oil include Clover, Biona and Olivio.

Choose your dairy products carefully. You won't compromise your calcium intake by opting for lower-fat yoghurts and skimmed or semi-skimmed milk.

Keep frying and roasting to a minimum. Better choices are to bake, grill, steam or stir-fry.

Make biscuits, cakes and pastry an occasional treat. They are high in saturated fats and are likely to contain hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Other articles in this series

General lifestyle management

Body weight

Protein

Carbohydrates

Fibre

Soya

Water

Caffeine

Smoking and nutrition

Alcohol metabolism

Exercise

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