| Facing up to Fat |
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A small amount of fat is essential for health, but the majority of us eat are more in danger of eating far too much of the wrong types of fat.
As fat has more than twice the number of calories as carbohydrates or proteins, it’s very easy to eat a lot of calories in a relatively small amount of food.
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| Why should we reduce the amount of fat we eat? | | 1. | One gram of fat contains 9 kcal whereas one gram of protein or carbohydrate contains only 4 kcal. | | 2. | It’s easier to convert the fat we eat into body fat than convert carbohydrate or protein into body fat. So we are more likely to get fat on a high fat diet than a high carbohydrate or a high protein diet with the same number of calories. | | 3. | Fat does not satisfy us as much as protein or carbohydrate, so its easy to keep eating more and more without feeling full. |
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The quantity of fat we eat has a profound effect on our weight, but the quality of the fat in our diets is equally important too.
We need less of the bad fats (saturated and hydrogenated fats) and more of the good types of fat, omega 3, 6 and 9.
Fats help us to absorb fat soluble vitamins A, D and E from the food we eat. Our body needs these good fats to make:
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 | healthy cell membranes |
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| healthy skin |
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| prostaglandins which are hormone like substances |
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| vitamin A from beta-carotene
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Fat Facts
The worst fats you could choose are saturated fats. These are solid fats, mostly animal fats, that encourage your body to produce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. Eating too much saturated fat is associated with certain types of cancer.
Where you find saturated fats:
Butter, cream, high fat dairy products, visible fat on meat, biscuits and snacks containing palm and coconut oil.
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Trans fatty acids
These are even worse than saturated fats. They increase the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and lower the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, which increases your risk of heart disease.
You will often find trans fatty acids in:
Hard margarines and spreads, biscuits, crackers and frozen pizzas and frozen meals.
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Better fats you could choose:
Polyunsaturated omega – 6 fatty acids
These reduce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol but at very high intakes can also reduce ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. High intakes may also encourage increased free radical damage and therefore increase your risk of cancer. A moderate intake is recommended.
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You will find polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids in:
Vegetable oils, polyunsaturated margarine, foods made with these oils. |
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Best fats you could choose:
Monounsaturated fatty acids
These are liquid at room temperature but solidify when chilled. Replacing saturates with monounsaturates reduces the risk of heart disease. They can reduce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol but maintain ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and can reduce the free radical damage associated with certain cancers, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
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You will find monounsaturated fatty acids in:
Olive oil, rapeseed oil, peanut oil, avocados, nuts and seeds
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Omega-3 fatty acids
These polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce the risk of thrombosis (blood clots) and therefore heart attacks and stokes. They also help to control inflammation in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
You will find omega 3 fatty acids in:
Oily fish, walnut and walnut oils, linseed, dark green leafy vegetables.
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| The low down on fats |
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| High fat foods | Lower fat options | | Shortcrust / puff pastry | Filo pastry | | Butter in cakes and biscuits | Monounsaturated spreads such as olive oil spread | | Margarine / butter in white sauce | Blend 1 heaped tbsp cornflour with ½ pint of milk | | Cream | Low fat Greek yoghurt, half fat crème fraiche. | | Cheddar cheese | Smaller quantity of strong flavoured cheese, for toppings use half grated cheese and half breadcrumbs or oats. | | Cream cheese | Ricotta cheese or quark (blend with a little sugar and vanilla essence in sweet desserts) |
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| It’s easy to cut down on the obvious fats such as butter, margarine, the fat on meat, the skin on chicken, cream and the oil you use when cooking. However much of the fat we eat is hidden in foods such as biscuits, cakes, sauces, snacks and fast foods. You’ve been warned! |
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