Small amounts of foods which are high in fat

A small amount of fat in the diet is essential for health but generally we eat far too much. Therefore, try to cut down on the amount of fat in your diet.

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

Foods with unsaturated fat

Unsaturated fats (mono-unsaturates and poly-unsaturates)

SMALL quantities of unsaturated fat are necessary for good health. Good sources of unsaturated fats are oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, and nuts. Although they are better for you than saturated fats, they still contain lots of calories, so we shouldn't eat too much. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines, pilchards and fresh tuna contain essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (you may hear them called omega-3 fatty acids) - these are thought to help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Foods with saturated fat

Saturated fats

Saturated fat is linked to high cholesterol and heart disease, so we shouldn't eat too much of them. Saturated fats are found in foods such as full-fat milk, cheese, meat fat, margarine, mayonnaise, pastry, pies, cakes, biscuits, puddings and chocolate.

How to cut down on fat

  • reduce your intake of "hidden fats" in the form of crisps, cakes, biscuits, sausage rolls, pies, and pastries
  • choose lower-fat versions of foods wherever possible (i.e. margarine, yoghurts, fromage frais, cheese, milk (skimmed or semi-skimmed), cream (single rather than double)
  • try oven chips rather than fried chips
  • cut the fat off meat before cooking
  • spoon off any fat that comes to the surface when cooking meat, or gravy
  • wherever possible, try poaching, steaming, boiling or grilling rather than roasting or frying. Or, try dry-roasting without adding any fat.

What else?

Contacts

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