Download Dietary fats: Know which types to choose Most foods contain several

Dietary fats: Know which types to choose
Most foods contain several different kinds of fats — including saturated,
polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fats — and some kinds are better
for your health than others are. The main source of fat is from foods such as oily
fish, vegetable oils and dairy products, and they form an essential part of our
diet. Between them they supply the essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K,
as well as the essential fatty acids needed for a healthy skin and for regulating
certain body functions.
Fats provide the most concentrated source of kilojoules, and a high fat, high
energy diet can lead to weight gain. High intakes of certain types of the less
healthy fats can contribute to ailments such as heart disease and even certain
kinds of cancer.
So, you don’t need to completely eliminate all fats from your meals. Instead,
choose the healthier types of fats and enjoy them in moderation.
Healthy fats
When choosing fats, your best options are unsaturated fats: monounsaturated
and polyunsaturated fats. These fats, if used in place of others, can lower your
risk of heart disease by reducing the total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol levels in your blood.
One type of polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, may be especially
beneficial to your heart. Omega-3s appear to decrease the risk of coronary
artery disease. They may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help
lower blood pressure levels.
Below are the best food sources of these healthy fats:
Type of healthy fat
Food source
Monounsaturated fat
Olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil,
avocados, nuts and seeds
Polyunsaturated fat
Vegetable oils (such as sunflower, soy
and maize oils), nuts and seeds
Omega-3 fatty acids
Fatty, cold-water fish (such as salmon,
mackerel and herring), flaxseeds, flax
oil and walnuts
What are plant sterols?
Plant sterols, which are natural components of seeds, nuts and vegetables are
thought to have cholesterol lowering properties and have now been added to
spreads such as Flora Pro-Activ and Nola Cholestro Go oil. These plant sterols
prevent absorption of the bad LDL cholesterol, resulting in an average of a 10%
reduction in LDL cholesterol without affecting the good HDL cholesterol. See the
product details for the daily dose needed to be effective.
Less healthy fats
Saturated and trans fats (trans-fatty acids) are less healthy kinds of fats. They
can increase your risk of heart disease by increasing your total and LDL ("bad")
cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol isn't technically a fat, but it's found in food
derived from animal sources. Intake of dietary cholesterol needs to be limited for
people with raised blood cholesterol levels.
Below are common food sources of the less healthy fats:
Type of fat
Food source
Saturated fat
Animal products (such as meat,
poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products,
lard and butter), and coconut and
palm oils
Trans fat
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils,
commercial baked goods (such as
crackers, cookies and cakes), fried
foods (such as doughnuts and fried
chips), shortening and some
margarines
Dietary cholesterol
Animal products (such as fatty meat,
skin on poultry, shellfish, eggs, lard,
cream and butter)
Daily limits for fat intake
The experts recommend that fat make up no more than 35 percent of your daily
energy intake. This means that if you are a man consuming about 7500kJ a day,
you should eat no more than 70 g of fat daily, and for women on a 5000kJ
intake, the fat should be limited to about 46g.
Another way of looking at your fat intake -to control your weight, keep your fat
intake to approximately 10-13g fat per meal for women and 15-17g fat per meal
for men. Keep in mind, however, that this is an upper limit and that most of
these fat calories should come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
sources.
In addition, the upper limits for saturated fat and dietary cholesterol for healthy
adults are:
Type of fat
Recommendation
Saturated fat
Less than 10 percent of your total daily
energy intake
Dietary cholesterol
Less than 300 milligrams a day
There isn’t yet an established upper limit for trans fat, but recommendations are
that you keep your trans fat intake as low as possible.
Be aware that many foods contain different kinds of fat and varying levels of
each type. For example, butter does contain some unsaturated fats, but a large
percentage of the total fat is saturated fat. And canola oil has a high percentage
of monounsaturated fat, but also contains smaller amounts of polyunsaturated
fat and saturated fat.
Typical fat content of some common foods
Food
Serving
size
Total fat
(g)
Saturated
fat (g)
Monounsa
tuated fat
(g)
Polyunsat
urated fat
(g)
Cholestero
l (mg)
Butter
2 tsp
(10g)
8.2
4.7
2.1
1.6
219
Sunflower
oil
2 tsp
(10g)
10
1.3
1.9
6.4
0
Canola oil
2 tsp
(10g)
9.8
6.8
5.7
2.6
<0.01
Olive oil
2 tsp
(10g)
10
1.3
7.4
0.8
0
Tub
margarine
2 tsp
(10g)
8.3
1.6
2.7
3.5
0
Low fat
spread
2 tsp
(10g)
3.5
0.7
0.9
1.8
0
Peanut
butter
2 tsp
5
1
2
1.7
0
(10g)
Avocado
¼ avo
(40g)
6
1
3.8
0.8
0
Lean beef,
grilled
100g
6
2.2
2
0.3
84
Skinless
chicken,
grilled
100g
4
1.1
1.4
0.9
77
Pork
sausage,
grilled
100g
31
10.8
13.9
3.8
83
Hamburge
r patties
100g
19.7
7.7
8.6
0.7
94
Egg,
boiled
1, large
(50g)
5
1.5
2
0.6
210
Full cream
milk
1 cup
(250ml)
8
5
2.4
0.3
35
Cheddar
cheese
½ cup
grated
(45g)
15
9.5
4
0.4
47
Fried
chips
Medium
serving
13
4
6
1.2
0
(80g)
Crisps
Small
packet
(30g)
10
4.2
4.8
0.9
0
Chicken &
mushroo
m pie
1
average
(150g)
25
15.8
7
1.8
35
Pizza
2
wedges
(100g)
12
5.2
5
0.8
16
Tips for choosing the best types of fat
Limit fat in your diet, but don't try to cut it out completely. Focus on reducing
foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, and select more foods
made with unsaturated fats. Consider these tips when making your choices:

Saute with canola or olive oil instead of butter.

Use olive oil in salad dressings and marinades and use canola oil when
baking.

Sprinkle slivered nuts or sunflower seeds on salads instead of bacon bits.

Snack on a small handful of nuts rather than potato chips or crackers. Or
try peanut butter or other nut-butter spreads on celery, bananas, or
provitas or seed bread.

Add slices of avocado, rather than cheese, to your sandwich.

Prepare fish such as salmon and mackerel, which contain
monounsaturated and omega-3 fats, instead of meat one or two times a
week.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have few adverse effects on blood
cholesterol levels, but you still need to consume all fats in moderation. Eating
large amounts of any fat adds excess kilojoules (energy) to your diet. Also make
sure that fatty foods don't replace more nutritious options, such as fruits,
vegetables, legumes or whole grains.