Are all fats bad for me?

A lot of people when they start up a new healthy eating plan or diet tend to cut out all fat thinking this is the enemy and will help them to lose fat. While it is true when it comes to things like McDonald's, KFC, chips and other take away or 'junk' food it is not true across the board for all fats. Fat is essential for us to lead a healthy lifestyle and our bodies to work at it's optimum level but we need to ensure that we consume the right types of fat. It's important to read the labels and understand the difference between saturated, unsaturated and trans fats.

Saturated fats are often referred to as the 'bad fats' and are both animal and plant based and are typically solid at room temperature. They have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood cholesterol levels. Sources of saturated fats are dairy foods, meat, palm oil, coconut oil, coconut milk and cream, cooking margarine and lard. It is also commonly found in packaged foods like potato chips, crackers, cakes, high fat muffins, deep fried take away foods, pastries, pies and sweet and savoury biscuits. When choosing meat products it's important to trim off or drain as much excess fat as possible.

Unsaturated fats are often referred to as the 'healthy fats' and these help to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. There are two different types of unsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, both have slightly different chemical structures. Unsaturated fats are commonly liquids at room temperature with common sources being omega 3, omega 6 fatty acids found, fish, oils, nuts as well as avocados. It's important to still consume these in moderation despite them being the healthier alternative as too much of anything can cause weight gain.

Trans fats are processed unsaturated fats which means that they act in a similar way to saturated fats and can increase the risk of heart disease. It is important to limit the intake of trans fats to maintain a healthy diet. There are typically found in packaged foods as well as butter and some margarines, similar to saturated fats. 

Cholesterol is a type of fat found in our bodies and more and more people are being diagnosed with high cholesterol levels. It was long believed that consuming large amounts of food containing cholesterol you were at a higher risk of high blood cholesterol levels. It has now been shown that consuming high levels of saturated or trans fats pose a greater risk to high cholesterol levels than those foods which contain unsaturated fats. Cholesterol plays many important roles in the body including production of hormones, bile and vitamin D.

Hope this helps to break down the myth of fats and that not all fat is the same

Simone xx