Fats

Fat gets a lot of bad press but it is something everybody needs to stay alive and have a healthy body.  You just need to choose the right kind of fat and the right amounts!  Fat has a number of very important jobs - it transports the fat soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E & K) that you get from your diet all over your body; it gives a layer of protection to your internal organs so they are protected from injury; it makes your skin and hair look healthy; it keeps you warm and it makes food taste nice! 

Fat is a very concentrated type of energy, it has twice the amount of calories than the same amount of protein or carbohydrate so it is really important to only eat the amount of fat you need.  Look at the labels on the packaging of the foods you eat – it will tell you how much fat you are eating, every day.

There are different kinds of fat, some better than others.

• Saturated fat is usually a solid at room temperature and generally comes from animals.  You can find it in foods like butter, cheese and whole milk or things that are made from these like biscuits, cakes, pastries and chocolate!  You can find saturated fat under the skin of meat like chicken or on the side of steaks or chops.  Saturated fat is not very healthy, it can be very bad for your heart and it is best to eat just very small amounts of it.
• Unsaturated fat is different – it is usually a liquid (an oil) at room temperature and it comes from vegetables or fish.  Unsaturated fats are much healthier than saturated fats and they are easy to find – they are olive, sunflower and sesame oils and you can find them in oily fish like salmon, sardines, tuna and mackerel.
• Trans fats are found in processed fats like margarine, snack foods, baked and fried foods.  You can look at the label from the food you eat to see if it has trans fats.  They are not very good for you at all, they can be very bad for your heart, so try to eat as little of them as you can.

Fats are not the bad guys, we all need them – just learn which ones are best!