Saturated fats are the fats found mainly in animal products for example the white fat surrounding bacon and beef, or in meat products such as sausages. This fat is solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fat comes mainly from plant products such as sunflower oil, avocados, olive oil, nuts and some fish. It is generally liquid at room temperature.

Consumer misconceptions

Research recently revealed that nearly half the UK population thought it was alright to eat as much saturated fat as they liked if they took regular exercise, were not overweight or ate lots of fruit and vegetables (FSA, 2009). People tend to be more concerned about cancer and obesity than cardiovascular disease (CVD) although this is responsible for 1 in 3 premature deaths in the UK (FSA ’06). CVD is a term that covers all diseases affecting the heart and circulatory system. It includes coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack and stroke. Coronary heart disease is caused by a gradual build up of fatty deposits on the walls of your coronary arteries.

People who exercise, who are not overweight or who eat their 5-a-day still need to watch the amount of saturated fats they consume, as they can cause serious health problems. One barrier to this change is that almost 2 thirds (63%) of people think that it costs more to buy healthier foods, highlighting the need for practical, cost-effective tips.

What we need to know

If people knew the potential consequences of a diet too high in saturated fat, they may be persuaded to eat more healthily.

Dietary saturated fats can raise cholesterol levels which can ultimately be a high risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases. These disease states include coronary heart disease, heart attacks, angina and strokes or CVD. CVD is the most common cause of death in the UK (www.heartstats.org.uk BHF 2009). Cholesterol is the waxy substance that can clog arteries causing pressure from the circulating blood to increase. This in turn puts added pressure on the heart and can cause blood vessels to burst. When this happens in the brain, it causes a stroke.

Diet is a key risk factor in heart disease. A reduction in saturated fat intake may prevent up to 3,500 early and unnecessary deaths a year in the UK (FSA, 2007).

Top five contributors of saturated fat in the UK diet

These foods are the top contributors of saturated fat in the UK diet, in order of daily uptake: 1. dairy products including cheese, milk, butter and yogurt

2. meat and meat products including meat pies, pastries and burgers

3. fat spreads including butter

4. biscuits, buns and cakes

5. lastly, but by no means least, chocolate confectionary

Most of these foods are still important to eat as part of a healthy diet, but moderation is the key! Tips on how to cut down your intake of saturated fats or eat alternative foods are included below.

How to reduce the amount of saturated fats we eat

As the recent survey also revealed that people are unsure of how to reduce these potentially harmful saturated fats, these tips, which are still not used by many people, may be useful:

  • eating fish and poultry in place of red meat can save several grams of saturated fat
  • cutting the white fat off meat will cut out the visible saturated fat you eat
  • taking the skin off chicken/poultry before cooking it further reduces saturated fats as most fat is located in or just under the skin
  • grilling meat is only practiced by 43% of people. This is a healthier way of cooking as the fat from the meat drips away onto the grill pan whilst cooking so you don’t eat it

These simple changes, if taken up will allow important proteins to be enjoyed as part of a healthy balanced diet, while reducing our intake of saturated fat. No more than 11% of our diet should come from saturated fats which equates to about 20g for women and 30g for men. Grams of saturated fats are written on food packaging labels along with the nutrient content, so you can get an idea of how much you eat per day by adding these values together.

Other top tips are:

  • try 1% fat milk and low-fat yoghurts. Look out for cheese that is lower in fat. For example brie, Gouda and mozzarella are better than cheddar
  • grate cheese instead of slicing – this means you’ll eat less
  • eat less pastry – so limit the number of pies, pastries and sausage rolls. Also go for pies with just a lid or a base
  • when cooking, use unsaturated oils such as sunflower, nut, and olive, instead of butter, lard and ghee
  • chocolate snacks can be high in saturated fat, so eat an apple, banana, some dried fruit, or low fat yogurt instead
  • check the label and choose food that is lower in saturates:

High > 5g sat fat per 100g

Low < 1.5g sat fat per 100g

OR when using the traffic light system:

Red = High

Amber = Medium

Green = Low

Fats are an important part of a healthy balanced diet (approximately 30% of the diet) and have many roles within the human body. It is therefore important to emphasise that not all dietary fats are harmful. Fats found in oils, nuts, avocados and fish are examples of poly- and mono-unsaturated fats which should make up the other 19% of daily fat intake.

If you have a question about nutrition or diet for Helen either use the comments board below or send an email to foodhero@hotmail.com