The Fact and the fiction about fat
A whole generation of people grew up fearing fat. The government told us to reduce the amount of fat in our diet, and “low-fat” and “fat-free” products became a staple in kitchens across the world. The very word fat became laden with so many negative connotations. We believed what we heard, we believed what we were told, that fat was bad and was responsible for illness. And why wouldn’t we believe what science and government told us?
My mum used to make a starter of Avocado with prawn mayonnaise on Sundays and I loved it - it was my favourite part of the meal. She cut the avocadoes in half, removed the stone, and filled each half with the prawn mixture. I vividly remember my dad sitting down to lunch one day and telling my mum that she had to stop giving us avocadoes because they were full of fat and they were so bad for us. That is what he had heard on the news and that was the end of that. And for years that thought stuck with me - avocadoes where the enemy and must be avoided at all costs along with any other food that contained fat.
The war on fat
In the 1960s a lot of research was being done around the links between food and heart disease. Sugar was identified as a possible culprit along with saturated fat. The sugar industry got wind of this and did not like it at all because of the damage it would do to the sugar brand and industry. The Sugar Research Foundation paid 3 Harvard Scientists to publish a paper on the links between heart disease, saturated fat and sugar; a paper that would downplay sugar as a possible cause, and allude to saturated fat being the culprit. Once that paper was published in America it had ripple effects across the world, with governments telling people that they had to reduce their intake of fat. What they didn’t take the time to do was to identify what type of fat people should look to reduce, and instead focused on total fat consumption. Bring on the Fat Free Revolution. Low Fat and Fat Free products sprung up left, right and centre and consumers gobbled them up. Literally. I mean with no fat in it, why shouldn’t you eat twice as much of it as a version that did have fat in it? The problem was that when fat was removed from products, a lot of the time so was the taste. And what was added to make up for lack of taste? Sugar and highly processed and inflammatory vegetable oils. So a nation that was reducing fat consumption in order to get healthy, ended up getting unhealthier because they were upping sugar intake, increasing intake of inflammatory oils, and losing out on the essential nutrients that fat provides.
Despite new studies and information on the healthy properties of fat, the education of the general public is still seriously lacking. For a lot of people the damage has already been done, and the relationship with fat continues to be a challenging one.
Fat - It’s Just So Misunderstood
In order to be able to make informed decisions about the food we eat it is important to understand the different types of fat, where to find them, and their implications - positive and negative - on our health.
Fat is one of the big three macro-nutrients (nutrients needed in large amounts) alongside protein and carbohydrates. There are three different types of fats:
Unsaturated fats.
Sometimes referred to as ‘healthy fats’ these come in the form of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, and are liquid at room temperature. These are found in plant based foods (avocadoes, nuts, seeds, flax, olives, plant oils, peanuts) and fatty fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna).
Unsaturated fats raise levels of good cholesterol (HDL). HDL moves excess bad cholesterol (LDL) to the liver to break it down and discard it.
Omega-3 unsaturated fats (fatty fish, nuts, seeds) can help lower inflammation in the body.
Unsaturated fats should be the priority in total fat consumption.
Saturated fats.
These are mostly found in animal based products -(meat, cheese, milk, yoghurt, butter), and also in coconut oil, and are solid at room temperature.
Saturated fats have a reputation for being ‘bad’ however they do have healthy qualities that shouldn’t be ignored, including having essential fatty acids that the body needs to maintain a healthy immune system.
Saturated fats do not need to be completely avoided, but should be consumed with mindfulness and moderation, and in less quantity than unsaturated fats.
Trans fats.
Trans fats are unsaturated fats that have been hydrogenated to turn them solid. Think lard, shortening, margarines.
Often used in fast fried foods, baked, and packaged goods because it increases the shelf life of products.
Trans fats raise LDL levels, increasing the risk of heart and other coronary diseases, and raise the likelihood of developing Type II Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and Liver Dysfunction.
Trans fats increase inflammation within the body.
Trans fats should be avoided where possible.
Many governments around the world have completely banned the use of trans fats in products however this is not the case in the UK. The UK Government advise against the use of them, but have not completely banned them, and despite the food industry agreeing to not use them, they still appear in ingredient lists.
Fast facts on fat
Fat is needed for the proper absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K.
Healthy fats promote brain health and development, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and disease. It is thought to reduce the level of brain fog experienced as a result of hormone fluctuations before and during menopause.
Fat provides cushioning and insulation for internal organs.
Healthy fats allow hormones to act and communicate effectively.
Healthy fats control blood pressure and cholesterol.
Fat is a key source of slow burning fuel for the body, having more energy per gram than any other food.
Consuming fat makes it much easier to control caloric intake because it is highly satiating, meaning you feel fuller for longer and are less likely to reach for the snack tin between meals.
Some studies have shown that consuming omega 3 fatty acids, found in unsaturated fats, can decrease the severity and quantity of hot flashes and night sweats in peri menopausal and menopausal women.
Finding the Fat
If we have learned one thing from the Fat Free Revolution, it is that we can’t trust the marketing messaging on food packaging. We were made to think that low fat or fat free meant healthy, but that is usually not the case when it comes to pre-packaged and processed foods. Marketing companies are becoming very clever in how they get people to buy products and so to really have the information we need to make informed choices, we need to become investigators.
All the information you need is there on the back of the packet, you just need to know what to look for.
TOP TIPS:
Read the nutritional label - what is the saturated fat content as a percentage of overall fat? Guidelines suggest that 1.5g or under per 100g is low, whereas 5g or more per 100g is high.
Look at the ingredients list - ingredients are listed in order of quantity so you can assume that if saturated fats are included in the top 3 or 4 ingredients, the item is going to be high in saturated fat.
Always consider quality - meat is high in saturated fat, however meat that is grain-fed has a different make up of fat compared to grass-fed (grain-fed is higher in omega 6 fats, and grass fed is higher in omega 3 fats. Omega 6 fats have to be consumed along with omega 3 fats to make them healthy. It is always worth considering if the animal has been kept in a cage or barn and therefore likely pumped with anti-biotics.
Trans fats are not always labelled as such on packaging and can be harder to identify. Anything that has “hydrogenised” in the name is highly likely to be a trans fat. They are also labelled as ‘mono and diglycerides of fatty acids’ and E471. Many popular products on the shelves today contain E471 such as Pringles, Quality Street, Magnums, Tesco Chocolate Chip Brioche. For a full list of brand products that contain E471 click here.
knowledge is power
Information is the most important tool you have. Once you have the information you can make informed decisions. Being able to focus on fats for health, rather than making it your life’s mission to avoid it can open you up to a whole new world of health and wellbeing. Your decision might be to go ahead and have that Magnum, or to get your favourite KFC bucket on a Friday night, but at least you can then be more aware of what you are eating the rest of the week in order to keep your consumption of trans fats to a minimum.