Like everyone, mini-marathon runners and walkers will benefit from cutting down on butter, cream, high fat dairy products, visible fat on meat, and biscuits, cakes, and snacks, especially those containing palm and coconut oil.
Instead we can enjoy sensible amounts of olive oil, rapeseed oil, avocados, nuts and seeds which are high in mono-unsaturates and use small amounts of vegetable oils or polyunsaturated margarine instead.
Oily fish, walnut and walnut oils, linseed, dark green leafy vegetables also contain healthy omega 3 fats.
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Saturates
Top of the list of bad fats are saturated fats. These are solid fats, mostly animal fats. In excess, they encourage your body to produce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, which may increase you risk of heart disease and stroke.
Where you find saturated fats:
Butter, cream, high fat dairy products, visible fat on meat, biscuits and snacks containing palm and coconut oil.
Trans fatty acids
These are even worse than saturated fats. They increase the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and lower the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. A very negative effect!
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: |
Omega-3 fatty acids
These polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce triglycerides and 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
Polyunsaturated omega – 6 fatty acids
These reduce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol but at very high intakes can also reduce ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. Therefore a good balance of omega 3, 6 and 9 is recommended.
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 omega-9 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.
You will find monounsaturated fatty acids in:
Olive oil, rapeseed oil, peanut oil, avocados, nuts and seeds
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| Change this fat……………For this one! |
Check in with us next week for more on Vitamins and Minerals in your mini-marathon eating plan. Bye for now!
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