Confused about which fats which you should be eating? Consultant dietitian Sarah Keogh explains the facts behind fats and advises which ones are vital in our diet.
There was a time when the thoughts of eating any type of fat sent many of us into paroxysms of guilt. Fat was evil, fat was bad and eating fat was going to make us gain weight, get heart disease and generally make us feel all round unwell. Luckily the tides have changed and we now know that while too much fat isn’t good for us, there are actually healthy fats out there that are beneficial for us to eat on a regular basis.
So why all the panic about fat?
In the 1960s when scientists first started finding out about cholesterol and its effect on the heart it quickly became clear that people who ate lots of fat had higher cholesterol. Further tests showed that cutting down on fat lowered cholesterol and in turn the risk of heart disease. Although scientists were aware that different types of fat existed, saturated fat was the main type of fat eaten in the US (where a lot of the research was carried out) and so, no one realised that it was just saturated fat that was the problem. Advice was given to cut down on fat and a whole range of low-fat products were born – along with the message that fat was bad.
However, research goes on in nutrition, just like any other area, and researchers began to notice that not all fat increased cholesterol and that in fact some fats helped to lower it. Research in the Mediterranean showed that consuming plenty of olive oil reduced the risk of heart disease and more specialised research found that other types of fat – such as omega-3 – were actually very important for health.
So where does that leave the rest of us? Which fats are good, which are bad? Which are the best types to go for? Do we need supplements or should we just work from food? Can you overdo it on the good fats? This article will take a closer look at the whole issue of fats, sort the good from the bad and give you some practical advice on what you can do to get the balance right.
The main types of fat
Let’s start at the very beginning. There are three main types of fat: saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat. Saturated fat is the ‘bad’ fat. This is the type that raises cholesterol and increases the risk of heart disease. Eating too many foods that are high in saturated fat is also linked with increased risk of some cancers and may have many other negative effects in the body. However, you do need a small amount of saturated fat most days. Saturated fats mainly come from animal fats like cream or the fat on meat. You don’t need to cut out these foods to be healthy but do be sensible – how often do you eat them? If it is everyday then you definitely need to cut back. Try to keep foods high in saturated fat to occasional treats.
Sources of saturated fat
High-fat dairy products: cream, cheese, butter, biscuits, cakes, pastries and crackers
Processed meats: sausages, black and white pudding, paté, salami etc.
Offal: liver, kidneys, tripe.
The second type of fat, polyunsaturated fats, help to lower cholesterol. They come from vegetable oils and seeds and sunflower oil is probably one of the best known sources. Polyunsaturated fats are also found in fish and essential fats like omega-3 fats fit into this family of fats. Although polyunsaturated fats, or PUFAs for short, help to lower cholesterol it is not recommended that we eat a whole lot of these either (with the exception of omega-3 fats, which we’ll come back to later). Overdoing it on PUFAs may cause more harm than good – although they are still a lot better than saturated fat. So while you can use oils like sunflower oil, don’t use a lot. It is best if you get your PUFAs from eating seeds, like sunflower seeds and sesame seeds and from oil-rich fish like salmon, trout and mackerel.
Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) have no real effect on cholesterol – they don’t raise it and they don’t lower it unless you are replacing saturated fat with MUFAs, eg. swapping lard for olive oil when making roast potatoes. MUFAs are found in olive oil and rapeseed oil as well as most nuts. This type of fat is very healthy and studies show that people taking even quite large amounts of olive oil still have less heart disease and cancer than everyone else –although watch out – oil is oil and using lots of it will still pile on the pounds.
Is extra virgin olive oil better?
In terms of the fat content, ordinary olive oil and extra virgin olive oil are the same – they both have lots of monounsaturated fats. The benefit with the extra virgin oil is that it has lots of the antioxidants that help to protect against heart disease. Make it your first choice if you can.
Omega-3 fats
There has been plenty written about omega-3 fats in recent years and judging by some of the claims out there it almost looks as though omega-3 fats are going to be the cure for everything! We have known for decades that people who eat lots of omega-3 fats have a much lower risk of developing heart disease but in recent years, as understanding grows about how omega-3 fats work, it is becoming clear that they have many jobs to do in the body. It would take more than the space of this article to cover everything that omega-3 fats are good for but the highlights are:
Omega-3 fats are an essential part of the developing brain – especially DHA, one of the types of omega-3 found in fish. Babies need lots of DHA while in the womb and when breast or bottle feeding. Mothers who eat oil rich fish (a major source of DHA) are giving their babies DHA both in the womb and in breast milk. DHA is now actually added to formula milks.
The benefits for the brain don’t stop in childhood. EPA, the other type of omega-3 found in fish actually helps to protect the brain into old age and may help to prevent development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Studies show that children suffering from dyslexia or ADHD may benefit from a supplement of EPA -one study showed a dramatic improvement in reading and behaviour in about 40% of children with dyslexia who were given EPA for three months. Omega-3 fats are also linked with decreased risk of certain cancers, reducing the effects of depression, reducing the chances of developing asthma or type-1 diabetes.
With all these benefits in mind it is clear that omega-3 fats are an important fat to eat regularly. Omega-3 fats can be found in oil-rich fish like salmon, trout, mackerel, herring and sardines. They can also be found in nuts and seeds although the type of omega-3 found in plants (ALA) does not seem to be as useful to the brain as EPA and DHA, the type found in oil-rich fish. You need about 500mg of EPA and DHA in total everyday to get the best benefit. This is equivalent to eating oil rich fish once or twice a week. If you decide to use a supplement, make sure the levels are high enough that you are getting the 500mg – many omega-3 supplements fall far short.
Make your own salad dressing
Salad dressings are really easy to make. All you really need is a jam jar with a tight lid. Add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 1 crushed clove of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Put the lid tightly on the jar and shake well. Drizzle over any salad.
Saturated fat on the label
Check the levels of fats in your food. Most packet foods will list the amounts of saturated fat they contain. A food that is low in saturated fat has less than 1.5 g per 100g or less than 0.75g per 100ml for liquids.
Fish oils and arthritis
High doses of fish oils make an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, helping to reduce swelling, stiffness and progressive damage. You do need very high doses, though, and it is best to talk to a qualified dietitian before starting a regime yourself.
One final point to remember: whether they are good fats or bad fats,fat is still very high in calories and eating to much of any type will pile on the weight. Make sure you swap the bad fats for the good fats – don’t just add some healthy fat onto the bad fats you are eating. However, eating the right type of fat will make a big difference to your health – both today and in the future.
Fat swaps - getting more of the good stuff
- Swap butter for a low fat spread based on olive or sunflower oil. If you prefer not to use spreads, keep butter to less than 1 small pat a day (the size of one of the small packets of butter you would get with a scone in a café).
- Read the ingredients lists for bought salad dressings and check the oils they use. If olive oil is the first oil listed then it's a better choice than other dressings out there.
- Add a splash of good extra virgin olive oil to vegetable soups as a garnish instead of cream.
- Although milk and yoghurt don’t have a lot of fat, using low-fat varieties can really help you to keep saturated fats at low levels – especially if you drink milk or eat yoghurt on a regular basis (as you should, to make sure you are getting enough calcium).
- Try using olive oil or rapeseed oil to make roast potatoes, or roast vegetables instead of butter or lard.
- Use olive oil when shallow frying anything – eggs, omelettes or when sautéing vegetables for vegetable soups or pasta dishes.
- Try more low-fat cooking methods – grill, bake or boil or steam foods instead of always reaching for the frying pan.
This information has been reproduced with kind permission of Zahra Publishing, publishers of Easy Health, www.easyhealth.ie.