Fats – the good,the bad & the ugly
Why do we need fats?
Fats are an essential part of our diet, supporting the growth of cells, protecting our vital organs, assisting in the movement and absorption of many nutrients as well as keeping us warm and providing us with energy.
So, why all the bad press?
Because fat has an equal amount of negative impacts to our body as it does positive. In fact, excess fat consumption, can lead to high cholesterol, weight gain and many health problems including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease to name
but a few.
Making the best choices:
This short guide, will help you to understand which fats are good for you, which are more harmful and how much you should be eating.
Types of Fat
Recommendations
The current recommendations are for the average man to consume no more than 97g of fat per day, of which you should limit saturated fat to no more than 30g a day.
How to achieve this:
- When cooking in fats, choose healthier oils such as Olive Oil, Sunflower or Vegetable Oil, Coconut oil, Avocado oil.
- If you are needing to use butter, opt for grass fed raw butter or nut butters.
- Healthy fats that are present in foods such as: Nuts; Fish such as sardines, salmon, krill and Avocado. These should be enjoyed in moderation.
- Fish should be consumed no more than 3 times per week.
When buying food from shops, be aware of the traffic light labelling which indicates how much fat is in the food that you are buying.
