Fat facts

But we shouldn’t have too much of it because our bodies find it hard to process so we start to store it up.  This means we may gain weight and find it harder to move. 

This can also increase the risk of developing diseases like some cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

‘Bad’ fat vs ‘good’ fat

Some types of fat are better than others. 

The bad ones - Saturated fat

Saturated fat, which you may have heard called ‘bad’ fat is the one which we need to really watch in our diets. Saturated fat can build up in our bodies, leading to high blood cholesterol and increased chances of developing heart disease. Unfortunately it is found in lots of foods we like eating.

These are some of the foods to watch out for which can be high in saturated fat:

• Processed meat like burgers and sausages
• Butter, ghee and lard
• Cream and ice-cream
• Cheese
• Pastry
• Cakes and biscuits
• Chocolate
• Coconut oil and palm oil

Unsaturated fat

You may have heard this called ‘good’ fat. 

Having unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat can help to reduce blood cholesterol. However, we still need to be careful – we shouldn’t have too much of this kind of fat either, to keep us healthy. So it’s best to try and cut down on how much fat we’re eating overall.

Some foods which contain unsaturated fat include:

• Oily fish like mackerel, salmon, trout and sardines
• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds
• Sunflower oil
• Olive oil
• Vegetable oil
• Spreads made from vegetable oil