Forty Plus Wellness

Is eating fat bad for you?

olive oil

Eating fat is not inherently bad for you. Fat is an important part of a healthy diet. It’s an essential source of energy and certain bodily functions also rely on the presence of fat. For example, some vitamins such as A, D and E require fat in order to dissolve into your bloodstream and provide nutrients. But consuming too much fat or the wrong type of fat can be bad for you.

How much fat should you eat?

Like anything else, eating too much fat can cause you to put on weight and because fat has more energy per gram than protein or carbohydrates it can be easy to consume too much. So it important to make sure you keep an eye on how much you eat.

Health guidelines indicate that your total fat intake should be around 20-30% of your total energy intake.

The amount of kilojoules you should consume will depend upon your weight, age and physical activity, however, as a guide a women of 50 who is moderately active should consume around 40-60g of fat per day. It’s important to remember that this intake includes fats found in foods as well as any fat you use to cook with.

Good versus bad fats

What’s even more important than the amount of fat is the type of fat you eat.

There are three main types of fats: saturated, unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and trans fats.

Saturated fats

Eating too much saturated fat can increase LDL cholesterol levels. This is the bad type of cholesterol as it can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature and come mostly from animal products, with the exception of tropical oils. 

Foods which contain saturated fats include:

  • fatty cuts of meat
  • full cream dairy products
  • coconut oil

Some tips for reducing your saturated food intake:

  • Trim all visible fat from meat and remove the skin from poultry
  • Refrigerate soups, gravies, and stews, and remove the hardened fat before eating
  • Bake or grill meats rather than frying
  • Choose tomato based sauces rather than butter, or cream-based sauces
  • Try plain, nonfat, or low-fat yogurt instead of sour cream or coconut milk
  • Choose reduced fat or low fat milk and cheese
  • Use vinegar, lemon juice and a small amount of olive oil as a dressing on salads rather than adding a ranch style dressings or mayonnaise

Unsaturated fats

Conversely, eating foods which contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can improve your blood cholesterol level and decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Foods which contain healthy monounsaturated fats include:

  • nuts and seeds
  • olive oil, peanut oil, sunflower and sesame oil
  • avocadoes

Olive oil also has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Harvard Health research indicates that people who consume higher amounts of olive oil have lower risks of developing cardiovascular disease, some cancers and dementia compared to those who consume little or none.

Polyunsaturated fats are essential fats. This means they’re required for normal body functions but your body can’t make them. So, you must get them from food. Polyunsaturated fats are used to build cell membranes and the covering of nerves. They are needed for blood clotting, muscle movement and reducing inflammation.

Foods that contain healthy polyunsaturated fats (omega-3 and omega-6) include:

  • Oily fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines
  • Tahini
  • Linseed (and chia seeds 
  • Soybean, sunflower, safflower and canola oil 
  • Pine nuts, walnuts and brazil nuts. 

Trans fats

Trans fats are a byproduct of a process used to make unsaturated fats which are normally liquid at room temperature into solids and to make them last longer before going rancid. They create inflammation, which is linked to heart disease, stroke and other chronic conditions. They also contribute to insulin resistance, which increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  So you should limit their intake as much as possible.

While trans fats have been banned in the US, they haven’t been in Australia. Australian manufacturers do not need to include trans fats on food labels, unless they make a nutrition claim about cholesterol, saturated or unsaturated fat, or trans fatty acids. This means you may not know from reading the label if something contains trans fats.

Trans fats are found mainly in heavily processed foods such as:

  • Deep-fried foods 
  • Biscuits, cakes and pastries 
  • Takeaway foods, such as hamburgers, pizza and hot chips 
  • Foods that list ‘hydrogenated oils’ or ‘partially hydrogenated vegetable oils’ on the ingredients list. 

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