Following a balanced diet can be tricky at the best of times, especially as new studies gather new findings about the benefits and disadvantages of different foods and nutrients. One minute, fats are healthy and should be consumed regularly, and then the next, you should be avoiding them at all costs. However, fat is a vital and necessary component of any diet and hopefully I can explain the differences between some different types and sources of fat.
First of all, it is important to remember that whilst there are some forms of fat you want to limit within your diet, it is not necessary to cut them out of your diet altogether as fat has an important role in keeping our bodies healthy. So which fats should we be consuming less of? Which fats are healthier? Read on below to find out.
Most people will have heard of saturated fats or maybe even trans fats. These are fats which we want to consume less of. Saturated fats have a particular molecular structure which makes them more difficult for your body to break down and utilise. Therefore, these fats tend to get stored for use later on. Consuming high levels of saturated fats can lead to adverse effects on health including higher risk of cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis (narrowing of blood vessels) and increased blood pressure. As foods high in saturated fats also tend to have a high calorie content, regular consumption of them often leads to weight gain of the wrong kind! Saturated fats are found in dairy foods such as butter, cream and cheese as well as in red meats such as: pork, beef and lamb.
Processed foods such as sausages can also be high in saturated fat. Complete avoidance of these foods is not needed, but these are the foods which you want to cut down, consume as a treat or find healthier alternatives for. Love red meat? Try turkey as it is much leaner and contains less saturated fat. Most good supermarkets offer a range of turkey products including: mince, meatballs, burgers and even sausages! On the dairy front, try swapping your milk to a semi-skimmed or skimmed alternative if you drink full fat.
Now, it’s time to explain in a little more detail about some of the lesser known names associated with fats. You may have had a blood test and heard of HDL and LDL. Now HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (‘good’ cholesterol) and LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol). These go together to form your total cholesterol. However, you want to lower the amount of LDL in your body as this is what accumulates on the linings of blood vessels, narrowing the arteries, leading to atherosclerosis, increased blood pressure and a higher risk of stroke and heart disease.
In contrast, you want to increase your HDL score as this helps to remove LDL from your blood. Good news, exercising can help to slightly increase your HDL score, but remember your diet is a key player in controlling your cholesterol. So where does LDL and HDL come from? Well your liver produces a lot of it but LDL often comes from, you guessed it, saturated fats which we mentioned earlier. However, you can reduce the amount of LDL in your body by eating foods such as: porridge, oat cakes and also baked beans!So which fats are better for us? Well, you may have heard of mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats.
These fats have a molecular structure which is easier for your body to break down and use. Out of the two, poly-unsaturated fats are the easiest for your body to break down. Therefore, these fats can be consumed more frequently than saturated fats. Consuming unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats can assist in maintaining a lower cholesterol as well as reducing your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Foods high in unsaturated fats include: nuts, fish, avocado, coconut, eggs, chicken, turkey and olive oil. Replacing more of the red meats and dairy in your diet with these foods could be a great way of reducing your risk of adverse health problems.
Hopefully I have managed to demystify some of the information surrounding fats for you. Just remember, that you want to reduce your consumption of saturated fats and LDL levels by reducing the amount of red meats in your diet. Then you want to replace those with unsaturated fats found in foods such as fish and poultry to keep your LDL levels down. Finally, a bowl of porridge in the morning or the odd baked beans on toast will help to boost your HDL levels and keep you circulatory system fit and healthy when hitting the gym.
Toby Hone
BSc (hons) Sport and Exercise Science
