nosh magazine
NUTRITION KNOW-HOW:
THE SKINNY
ON FAT
Nutrition expert Lisa Donaldson
explains the importance
of fat in a healthy diet.
n the 1980s and 90s consumers
observed a big change in products
lining the shelves. Food labels claiming to
be “fat-free” or at the very least “low-fat”
became commonplace and people started
to believe that by ditching fat they too
would become “low-fat” and lean. In
theory this absolutely makes sense, fat
contains double the amount of calories per
gram (nine calories per gram) compared to
carbohydrates and protein (four calories
per gram each). However, the fat-free
message was too simplistic; consumers
overindulged and ignored healthy fats that
are essential for our heart, hormones, skin,
hair and healthy cholesterol levels. There is
no doubt that eating too much fat makes
weight reduction hard (although not
impossible), but the best approach is to
concentrate on reducing harmful fats while
including healthy fats in moderation. With
too little fat in the diet we risk poor
vitamin absorption (vitamins A, E, D and
K), our moods can hit “swings and
roundabouts” and the way our body
balances out LDL and HDL cholesterol can
be problematic. Healthy fats are necessary
for health, and consuming healthy fat is
surprisingly good for our heart.
Wholefoods like avocado, oily fish, olive
oil, nuts, seeds and olives are extremely
beneficial. The Mediterranean Diet is an
excellent example of this and with
countless studies identifying reduced
mortality rates in these populations, health
professionals cannot help but sit up and
take notice. Choosing the right kinds of
fats is critically important; you don’t need
to be Einstein to realise that a chocolate bar
I
isn’t going to be cardiac-protective like
salmon.
How to eat healthy fats
Here are some practical ways to include
healthy fats into your daily diet.
• Limit your use of margarine and butter
as a spread – try using a small amount
of avocado, nut butter, olive oil, low-fat
ricotta or even hummus.
• Use a little olive, canola or nut oil in
cooking and salad dressings.
• Keep a spray can of extra virgin olive or
canola oil handy so you can give a light
spray of oil, rather than an overly
generous drizzle.
• When it comes to dairy products, by all
means choose low-fat options. This will
significantly reduce the amount of
saturated fat in your diet; the bad fat
that stubbornly sticks to arteries and
organs. Plus, you will still have a protein
and calcium rich source of dairy.
• Limit your intake of salami, sausages
and other processed fatty meats and opt
for lean cuts of meat; remove visible fat
and skin from all meat and poultry.
• Order stir-fried, grilled, BBQ or baked
foods when in restaurants rather than
deep or shallow-fried.
• Prepare and cook more of your own
meals. That way you are in control of
the type and amount of fat you eat.
• Limit the amount of processed and
packaged foods that come into your
home and take note of the ingredient
list, not just the calorie content and f ]