Your Guide To Healthy Fats In Your Diet

All fats contain a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids but choosing foods which contain higher amounts of unsaturated fat, and less saturated fat, is preferable.

Unsaturated fats contain a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids and are usually liquid at room temperature. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats help to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and are found in vegetable oils such as olive, rapeseed and sunflower oils, avocados, nuts and seeds. Polyunsaturated fats provide us with essential fatty acids like omega-3 which are important for health.

Good choices of oils are:

Omega 3 fatty acids

These are a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are found in oily fish (e.g. mackerel, salmon and sardines) and in smaller amounts in sunflower oil, flax, linseed oil and walnuts. Omega 3 fatty acids are associated with good heart health as they can help to prevent blood clotting and regulate heart rhythm. They are also important during pregnancy and breastfeeding to support child development.  In order to get the benefits from these fatty acids we should all aim to eat at least one portion of oily fish per week.

• Good sources include mackerel, salmon, pilchards, sardines, kippers, herring, trout, fresh crab, whitebait and swordfish

How can we make better choices in the fats we eat?

We should all try to cut down on the amount of saturated fat that we consume and choose healthier foods containing unsaturated fatty acids instead, from foods like avocados, nuts and fish. These foods are typical of the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with good heart health and a lower risk of heart disease.

Vegetable oils such as rapeseed, olive, sunflower, soya, sesame oils, and spreads made from these oils are healthier alternatives to oils or fats rich in saturated fats (e.g. lard, butter, palm and coconut oil) as they contain a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids.

It’s easy to make small changes to cut back on saturated fat. Here are some examples of simple swaps you can make to reduce the amount of saturated fat you consume:

Swap	For
Whole milk, cream and full fat cheese	Lower fat dairy products like skimmed, semi-skimmed or 1% fat milk and reduced fat cheese
Fatty cuts of meat	Lean cuts with no visible fat
Roasted and fried foods	Grilled, steamed or baked foods
Butter, lard, ghee, coconut and palm oils	Oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids such as olive, rapeseed or sunflower oils and spreads made with these
Cakes, biscuits and pastries	A handful of unsalted nuts

Source:nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/basics/fats.html?limit=1&start=4