There is a lot of confusion out there relating to what are “good” and “bad” fats.
The purpose of this post is to outline the main types of fats and give some common sense tips on how to healthily incorporate fats and oils into our diet.
There are 2 main categories of fats: Saturated and Unsaturated.
Whether a fat is classified as “saturated” or “unsaturated” depends on its chemical structure.
Saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature and mostly come from animal sources, with some exceptions, the most commonly known of which would be coconut oil.
Unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature and mostly come from plant sources, with some exceptions such as omega 3 from oily fish.
Despite a lot of bad science in the last 10 years that has sought to suggest “we were wrong about saturated fat all along….sugar is the real problem….eat as much butter and bacon as you like”, a diet high in saturated fat is still considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
This is not to say that sugar isn’t a huge problem. It is. But nutrition science is complicated and nuanced and the solutions are often not either/or. The reality is that a diet high in either saturated fat or sugar is likely going to be highly problematic over time.
Unsaturated fats are further broken down into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and again this relates to chemical structure.
Polyunsaturated fats are further broken down into Omega 3; 6; 7 & 9. Polyunsaturated fats are the most vulnerable oils to heat and light exposure meaning that if they are “damaged” by excessive heat and light they can become problematic when we consume them.
So….that’s the classifications. What practical steps can I take to incorporate fats and oils into my diet in a healthier way?
Based on current scientific thinking that isn’t just about selling books and being controversial in order to advance one’s number of Instagram followers, the best advice I can give is as follows:
1. Limit saturated fat intake. This generally means limiting animal products and in particular poorer quality, fattier cuts of meat. We all like a treat every now and again so if you are going to have a burger do it occasionally and choose quality over quantity. Ease off on the butter. Hard cheeses appear to be less problematic than butter in our current scientific understanding of drivers of heart disease. Choose pork products and sausages that are higher in actual pork content. Be aware that just because coconut oil is “plant based” and does contain other beneficial nutrients, it is composed of approximately 87% saturated fat by weight.
2. Fry at lower temperatures and never heat oils until they begin to smoke. The “smoke point” of an oil is the point at which its chemical structure begins to degrade due to the high temperature. At this point these oils become highly unstable and reactive and have the potential to cause an inflammatory response in our body.
3. Buy oils in dark glass bottles as opposed to clear plastic bottles. Oils are vulnerable to damaged called “oxidation” from light exposure. Also, fat soluble hormone disrupting chemicals from plastic such as BPA can leach into these oils from the surrounding plastic. Dark glass bottles are always best.
4. For frying, swap sunflower, vegetable and rapeseed oil for non-virgin olive oil and do it at lower temperatures.
5. For salads and dressings choose extra virgin olive oil.
6. Never, ever, fry with omega 3 oils such as flax oil. Omega 3 oils are the most delicate and vulnerable of all oils to heat damage in terms of their chemical structure.
Bonus tip: We need fibre in our diet in order to remove cholesterol. The more saturated fat we eat in particular, the greater need we have for a higher fibre diet in order to help clear the cholesterol that is made as a result of this diet pattern, from our body.
I hope that you found this article useful. If you have any questions or comments or would like personalised support on any of the topics mentioned above, please feel free to get in touch for a free introductory call.
Paul Kinsella,
Registered Nutritional Therapist
BANT Registered Nutritionist
Copyright, 2022.
www.optimal-health.ie
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