Monounsaturated fats help to lower LDL cholesterol and are present in monounsaturated spreads, avocado, olive oil, canola oil, nuts and seeds. Photo by Cristy Symington

Good and bad fat

We consume three main types of fats in our daily diet – saturated fats, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.

These three types of fats are grouped according to their unique chemistries.

Each group of fats has different effects on our metabolism.

Some fats are beneficial to health if eaten in moderation; others are best limited in our diet.

Let’s have a look at the three types of fats in more detail.

Saturated Fats
These fats are present in dairy products, meat fat, chicken skin, lard, tallow, hydrogenated vegetable fats and any fats derived from coconut.

Studies show that saturated fats increase blood LDL-cholesterol level which if elevated is a risk factor for heart disease.

For this reason nutritionists generally recommend that this type of fat does not provide more than 10 per cent of the total kilojoules consumed daily.

To help put this figure into perspective consider that one tablespoon of butter provides the average woman with the required amount of saturated fats, while for an average man this will go up to 1½ tablespoons.

For more information on how to keep your saturated fats within the recommended range I refer you to my book Good Health on the Go available in bookstores around Australia.

Polyunsaturated Fats
These fats are present in the vegetable oils sunflower and safflower. Other good sources of polyunsaturated fats are seeds and some nuts.

These types of fats don’t increase cholesterol levels, in fact some studies show that they have a slight lowering effect.

This is the advantage they hold over saturated fats.

However, they are rather volatile in that their chemistry is prone to break down and they require antioxidants to remain intact.

A diet containing high amounts of polyunsaturated fats should be high in antioxidants, especially vitamin C and vitamin E, so reach for the citrus fruits, mangoes and avocado to boost your intake of these vitamins.

Incidentally avocado is also high in monounsaturated fat, which we look at next.

Monounsaturated Fats
I left the best for last. These fats help to lower LDL cholesterol and have a stable chemistry not requiring a boost in antioxidant intake.

These are present in monounsaturated spreads, avocado, olive oil, canola oil, nuts and seeds.

Good Health Messages

• Fat is an essential nutrient so don’t cut back too much.
• Aim to reduce saturated fats which are eaten in excess in a typical Australian diet.
• Choose monounsaturated and some polyunsaturated fats.
• Lower the total amount of fat you eat if you are overweight to help get into better shape.
  

Christmas Message
Few of us can resist pork crackle but using olive oil instead of butter in food preparation will help to avoid over consuming saturated fats during the festive season.

Have a wonderful time at Christmas. Until next year! Best wishes.

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