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Fact Files : Fats in Foods
Most Australians eat too much fat, particularly saturated fat. On average Australians eat 580g fat every week and 230g of that fat is saturated fat. That’s the equivalent of -
- 24 Big Macs a week OR
- ½ pound of butter plus ½ tub of margarine a week
Eating too much fat, particularly saturated fat, increases your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer.
Not all fats are the same some fats can reduce the risk of developing heart disease whilst others can increase the risk.
Saturated Fat
- Mainly found in animal foods such as fatty meats and dairy foods such as milk, cheese and butter
- Is also found in vegetable oils such as coconut and palm oil
- Commonly used in commercially produced foods such as biscuits, pastries, deep fried takeaways, potato crisps and confectionary
- Increases risk of heart disease
Polyunsaturated Fat
- Mainly found in plant foods such as sunflower, safflower and soybean oils, nuts and seeds
- Is also found in oily fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines
- Omega 3 (found in fish) and Omega 6 (found in vegetable oils) fats are types of polyunsaturated fats that our body can not produce naturally so we rely on food sources to obtain them. Balance is the key and most Australians consume high amounts of Omega 6 and low amounts of Omega 3 fats. The ratio of 15g Omega 3 to 1g of Omega 6 has been shown to promote healthy blood flow, reductions in inflammation, lowering of blood pressure and assistance in the prevention of irregular heart beats.
- Lowers risk of heart disease
Monounsaturated Fat
- Mainly found in canola and olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds
- Is also found in lean meats
- Lowers risk of heart disease
Cholesterol
- Is ONLY found in animal foods, is not in plants
- Is a fatty substance that is an important part of all animals and our bodies produce it naturally even if we don’t eat it
- Too much cholesterol in the blood causes fatty deposits to build up in blood vessels, making it harder for blood to flow through. Sometimes major blood vessels can become totally blocked which may lead to a heart attack or stroke.
- Cholesterol is made up of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol which clogs up blood vessels and ‘good’ HDL cholesterol which helps unclog blood vessels.
Sterols and Stanols
- Are the plant form of cholesterol
- Mainly found in fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains
- When eaten they help to prevent the absorption of cholesterol from the food we eat
- Proactive and Logical margarines have plant sterols added to them which can assist in the lowering of cholesterol
Poor choices (high fat) |
Better choices (low fat) |
Full cream milk, cheese, ice cream
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Reduced fat or skim milk, cheese, ice cream
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Coconut milk and cream
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Evaporated light and creamy milk with coconut essence
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| Cream and sour cream |
Low fat sour cream or natural yoghurt |
| Untrimmed meat, skin on chicken |
Trimmed meat, skinless chicken
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| Deep fried/crumbed/battered fish |
Grilled fish |
| Bacon, salami |
Lean bacon or ham |
| Vegetable oil |
Olive, canola oil or spray
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| Butter |
Margarine (canola or olive), avocado, low fat mayonnaise, relish, hummus, pickles
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Creamy sauces
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Tomato based sauces, sweet chili, soy, lemon, ginger, sweet and sour |
| Deep fried or roasted meals |
Grilled, BBQ, steamed, boiled meals
Use non stick pan |
| Chips, pastries, deep fried foods, burgers, pizza, |
Sandwiches, rolls, kebabs, stir fried dishes, sushi |
| Chocolate, doughnuts, cakes, creamed filled/chocolate biscuits, crisps |
Crackers and low fat cheese, peanut butter or low fat dip, raw nuts, low fat dairy products, low fat biscuits, fresh fruit |
| White bread, crackers, refined/processed cereals |
Wholegrain breads, cereals and crackers |
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