Fats: the lowdown
While your body needs some fat to function normally, a high fat diet
can lead to weight gain and other serious health problems.
There are two main types of fat – saturated fat and unsaturated fat
– and each one affects your body very differently.
Saturated fats are found in fatty meats, full-cream dairy products,
butter, most deep fried takeaways, and baked products such as
biscuits and pastries. Foods high in saturated fat increase blood
cholesterol which can lead to heart disease and stroke.
Unsaturated fats are found in margarine spreads, oils, nuts,
oily fish (omega 3 fats) and avocados. These are healthier fats
because they can help to lower your cholesterol.
For more information go to
www.healthyoptions.health.wa.gov.au
Fats: the lowdown
Compare the fat content of these common foods to see how easy it
can be to reduce the amount of fat in your diet.
FULL
CREAM
HILO
SKIM
Full cream milk (1 cup)
= 6.0g saturated fat
Hilo milk (1 cup)
= 3.0g saturated fat
Skim milk (1 cup)
= 0g saturated fat
Butter (1 tbspn = 20g)
= 10.0g saturated fat
Margarine (1 tbspn = 20g)
= 3.5g saturated fat
Chicken with the skin on (100g)
= 4.5g saturated fat
Chicken with the skin off (100g)
= 2.0g saturated fat
100g sliced salami
= 17.0g saturated fat
Tuna in oil (95g small tin)
= 2.0g saturated fat
* Nutrition information is derived from FoodWorks 2007 software (version 5)
For more information go to
www.healthyoptions.health.wa.gov.au