Fats fats fats

Fats can be the most confusing part of a healthy diet. Good fats, bad fats, trans fats..saturated, unsaturated…and cholesterol? That’s a whole other story!

So where do we begin?

Generally, fats should be taking up no more than 30-35% of total daily calories.

I think the most important thing we can do for health in regards to fats, is to cut out trans fats from our diets. Trans fats are basically fats with trans bonds, they are created during the process of hydrogenation. So hydrogenated or semi hydrogenated fats are terms you can also look out for! These fats are commonly found in processed foods (surprise surprise!!) where hydrogenation of fats can improve the texture and shelf life of a food. Surely preventing CVD is more important!! 

Trans fats are known to increase risk of: Cancer, circulatory diseases, inflammation in the body, increased bad cholesterol, decreased good cholesterol and increased triglycerides.  

 

Best to avoid!!

The ‘good’ fats that our body needs us to consume, are the omega 3 and omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are essential for our bodies and are used in creating compounds which help inflammation, blood pressure,  and our immune system amongst others. They also help vision and the nervous system. We still should only take in about 20% total fats as polyunsaturates. They are unstable and can be damaged easily!

Great sources of omega 3 include oily fish, walnuts,chia seeds. Omega 6 is found in vegetable oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, egg yolk.

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Monounsaturated fats should make up the bulk of your fat intake. They are more stable than polyunsaturated fats so are more suitable for cooking (low heat only! Extra virgin olive oil). They also are helpful in stabilising blood sugar and are cardiovascular protective!!

Saturated fats may be included in the diet but kept to a minimum. They are great for cooking with as they are most stable and withstand high temperatures without becoming damaged (think coconut oil!). Plant sources are ideal, animal sources tend to contain cholesterol which causes problems when oxidised (this can happen from heating and storage issues). I will discuss cholesterol in my next post.

Storage of fats is important to minimise oxidation, most at risk is your polyunsaturated fats which are the most unstable! Keep in dark spaces/fridge and wrapped up away from air. Damaged fats are linked with cardiovascular issues. Fats are an essential component of our diets, but treat them with care!

My favourite fat sources:

Hummus

Avocado

Nuts& seeds

Eggs

Chia seeds

Let me know  your favourite fats!