Fat is the energy store for the body. Some fat in our diet is essential.
- There are some fats that cannot be produced by the body and must be supplied from the diet.
- Fat carries vitamins around the body.
- Fat provides energy.
Foods that contain a lot of fat include cooking oils, spreads, many cheeses and some types of meat like pork or duck.
There are two main types of fat;
- saturated fat — usually solid at room temperature and usually, but not always from animals.
- unsaturated fat — usually liquid at room temperature.
How much fat should I eat?
The answer to this depends on your age,lifestyle and state of health, however it is recommended that no more than a third of the body’s energy should come from fat.
- For an adult man this means 95g per day in total of which no more than 30g should come from saturated fat.
- An adult woman should have no more than 70g of total fat per day of which no more than 20g should come from saturated fat.
Is unsaturated fat better than saturated fat?
A high fat intake, particularly of saturated fat has been linked to coronary heart disease, so for many people it is important to watch the type and amount of fat they eat.
- Whilst unsaturated fat is a better choice than saturated fat, it still has the same amount of calories so if you’re watching your weight you need to limit the amount that is eaten.
- In cooking for example its better to grill food than to fry it, but if it must be fried, use an unsaturated oil like sunflower or olive oil rather than an animal fat like butter or lard.
A 34g bag of Original Hula Hoops has 9.7g of total fat of which 4.3g is saturated fat. So whilst it’s possible to enjoy your favourite crisp or snack, keep a check on the total amount of fat that is eaten as any energy that you don’t use immediately is stored in the body as fat.
What are trans fats and why are they not supposed to be good?
Trans fats occur naturally in small amounts in some products such as butter
- Trans fats are also created when unsaturated fats are put through a process that turns them from liquid to solid. This is done to make the manufacture of some products easier (imagine trying to make a cake with a liquid oil rather than a solid fat).
- The process is called hydrogenation and any fat that has been hydrogenated has to be declared by law in the ingredients panel on the back of the packet.
- However, not all hydrogenated fat has high levels of trans fats
- Like saturated fats, trans fats have been linked to heart disease. It is recommended that no more than 2% of total energy per day should come from trans fats. This is equivalent to 6g and 50 kcals for an adult man and 4g and 40 kcals for an adult woman
- Average intake of trans fats in the UK is below this level
| Total Fat | Saturated Fat | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 95g | 30g |
| Women | 70g | 20g |