Fat facts
Try not to add butter or other spread to baked potatoes. Use a moist filling instead such as
baked beans, cottage cheese, tuna with low fat mayonnaise or vegetable chilli
Choose boiled or steamed rice rather than fried or pilau rice
Use tomato or vegetable based sauces for pasta rather than cheese or creamy varieties or pesto
and watch portion sizes
Chips are okay to have once a week and preferably homemade from potatoes with a light
coating of oil baked in the oven or use low fat oven chips
Try to avoid salad dressings or choose fat free varieties
Pour low fat yoghurt on fruit instead of cream
Choose fat free/virtually fat free yoghurts or fromage frais as they are usually low in fat and
sugar. Try to avoid whole milk yoghurts or those with added cream and crème fraiche
Cheese is usually high in fat so try to limit intake. Choose half fat cheddar or Edam cheese.
High fat cheeses such as strong cheddar or Parmesan can be used in cooking as less can be
used and to provide the same flavour
Use light or extra light soft cheese, cottage cheese or Ricotta instead of full-fat cream cheese
but still limited intake
Try to avoid meat products such as sausages, burgers and pies or pastries as they are high in calories
Eggs can be poached, boiled or scrambled instead of fried
Add beans and lentils to stews and casseroles to use less meat than normal which lowers
calories and increases fibre intake
Thicken sauces and gravies with corn flour rather than using the traditional fat and flour method
Many take-away meals are high in fat and salt as well as being expensive. Keep these as only
an occasional treat.
High fat foods = 20g or more fat per 100g. May display a red light.
Low fat foods = 3g or less fat per 100g. May display a green light.
High in saturated fat = 5g or more saturated fat per 100g. May display a red light.
Low in saturated fat = 1.5g or less saturated fat per 100g. May display a green light.
Reading the fat on labels
‘Reduced fat’ contains at least 25% less fat than the standard product. Watch intake of these
foods as they can still be high in fat e.g. reduced fat crisps.
‘Low fat’ contains <3g fat/100g or 100ml.
‘Fat free’ contains <0.15g fat/100g or 100ml.
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Week 3
Fat content of foods on labels
Weigh to go!
Week 3
Fat facts
A small amount of fat is essential for the absorption of certain vitamins and for energy. Too much,
however can lead to weight gain and affect health.
There are different types of fats
1. Saturated fats are found in the fat on meat, chicken, in milk and milk products and are the
fats that are used most in snack foods like biscuits and chocolates. It is also the fat in butter,
lard, and coconut oil. Saturated fats increase cholesterol. In order to lose weight you should
reduce your intake of saturated fat. They can also be called ‘saturates’ or ‘sat fats’.
2. Monounsaturated fats are found in small amounts in a variety of foods but Olive and Rape
seed oil are the main sources. Monounsaturated fats are neutral, that is, they do not affect your
cholesterol. Margarine made from olive oil and extra virgin oil is a good choice.
3. Polyunsaturated fats are found in all other vegetable oils (including sunflower, soya, flaxseed
oil, sesame oil and corn oil), nuts and seeds (except coconuts) and all vegetable margarine that
is labelled polyunsaturated. Poly-unsaturated fats can lower cholesterol.
NB It is important to remember that saturated and polyunsaturated fats, contain the same amount
of calories therefore people should aim to reduce their intake of saturated fat and ensure the fat
they do use, as a spread and oil, comes from an unsaturated source.
Trans fats
Trans fats are found naturally at low levels in some foods, such as those from animals, including
meat and dairy products and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Most of the supermarkets have removed
hydrogenated oil from their own branded products and it must be declared on the label if it contains
it. We therefore consume very little trans fats. They can increase cholesterol in the same way
saturated fat can.
Omega-3
Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, also known as omega-3 can help prevent heart disease and
lower cholesterol. There is also some evidence that they can reduce pain in people with
rheumatoid arthritis.
Oily fish are the best source of omega-3 and are as follows:
Salmon
Herring
Pilchards
Anchovies
Whitebait
Mackerel
Sardines
Trout
Tuna (fresh)
Some white fish and shellfish contain small amounts of omega-3 such as mussels, oysters, crab and squid.
NB canned tuna does not count as oily fish as the omega-3 fats are affected by the canning process.
A healthy diet should include two
portions of fish per week, one of which
should be oily. People who dislike fish
or find this difficult to achieve can take
omega-3 fish oils in tablet form if
they wish.
Pregnant women should watch their
intake of oily fish.
There are also some plant sources of omega-3 as follows:
flaxseed oil
rapeseed oil
soya oil and soya-based foods, such as tofu
walnuts
omega-3 fortified egg
Fat: daily requirements
No more than 90g fat/day for men
No more than 70g fat/day for women
(no more than 30g saturated fat)
(no more than 20g saturated fat)
In order to reduce total fat intake, you should:
Trim any visible fat off meat, take skin off chicken, drain fat from cooked meat
Boil, braise, steam, grill rather than roast or frying
If frying, choose an unsaturated fat and measure out with a teaspoon to reduce the amount used
Avoid adding fats to food e.g. not adding butter to vegetables; reduce the amount of spread on bread
Choose lower fat alternatives e.g. semi-skimmed milk, reduced fat spread etc
Reduce intake of fat-rich foods e.g. pastries, pies, cream, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, crisps
Try a low fat spread instead of butter or margarine on bread or toast and spread it thinly
Mash potatoes with only milk (skimmed or semi-skimmed) rather than adding butter or other
spread or add nothing
Add pepper to hot vegetables before serving rather than adding butter or margarine