Nutrition 101: All about saturated fats

Article written by our Nutritionist partner, Hannah Norris ANutr MSc

 

What is Saturated Fat and Why is it so “Bad”?

Fat is essential in the diet, providing energy, carrying nutrients and acting as structural components of cell membranes and precursors of some hormones.

There are various types of dietary fat and to put it simply, it’s to do with their chemical make up, depending on number of carbon atoms and number of double bonds. The main dietary fats are either saturated or unsaturated. 

Similar to carbohydrates, they are broken down to provide energy, carbohydrates are broken down into sugars and fats are broken into triglycerides. 

Trans fats and cholesterol are also dietary lipids worth noting. 

What fats are bad for us?  

Trans fat, a chemically altered lipid (fat), is categorically bad for us. We’re lucky in the UK that many food companies in the UK and EU voluntarily agreed to stop using trans fats and we now see negligible amounts in our food and most people eat below the max intake already. 

Saturated fat is also considered to be bad for us in large quantities and this is to do with its impact on our blood cholesterol, raising both our High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)  and Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL). Consuming too much saturated fat can therefore lead to atherosclerosis and heart disease. 

There are, however, also different types of saturated fat that can potentially be less harmful and in small quantities may even be good for us. For example stearic acid, the fat found in beef, dark chocolate and coconut oil doesn’t seem to pose such a bad impact on cholesterol. 

As a nutritionist my main tip is to limit the fat on meats like pork where possible and from ultra processed foods. 

What fat is good for us?

Now this might surprise you but cholesterol that you eat i.e. dietary cholesterol, found in eggs and prawns, is actually good for you! 

This is because dietary cholesterol strangely does not actually increase our blood cholesterol. 

(The only reason you would need to avoid it is if you have a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia which means any fat you consume will increase your blood cholesterol and therefore put you at risk of cardiovascular disease)

Another strange phenomenon is that we actually have GOOD cholesterol in the body - HDL. This is because HDL actually helps to carry away LDL and keep the blood healthy. 

A handful of almonds rich in monounsaturated fats everyday, for example, can clinically reduce our total and bad (LDL) cholesterol over 6 weeks.

Bringing me onto unsaturated fat. There are many types of unsaturated fat, and should make up the majority of your fat intake. These fats are found in the likes of olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and oily fish. 

What types of unsaturated fats are there?

Mono-unsaturated fats: Olive oil, avocado, almonds (Omega 9)

Poly-unsaturated fats: fats such as Alpha Linoleic Acid (ALA), found in hemp, chia and walnuts. EPA and DHA found in salmon, mackerel and anchovies (Omega 3) 

There is also Linoleic acid (Omega 6) found in sunflower seeds and peanuts, which while good for us in small amounts, is detrimental to our health in large quantities when we are not consuming sufficient Omega 3. 

How much fat should we be consuming? 

Guidelines state we shouldn’t exceed more than 30% of our energy intake coming from fat, so an average person consuming 2000kcal day of food would want no more than 67g of fat per day (fat provides 9kcal of energy per 1g of fat)

However if we were to drill into this a bit more, you could get away with eating slightly more (35%) or less (20%) depending on your preference and activity levels. 

Many people (including myself) prefer slightly higher fats and lower carbohydrates (note lower not low). Similarly many people including athletes prefer lower fat in their diet and opt for more carbohydrates to provide more quickly available energy. 

Myth busting: Does fat make you fat?

I think many people know this now, but no, fat does not make you fat. Fat is more caloric, and more nutrient dense (9 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram in carbs and protein) but it also helps to slow down absorption of food, keeping us more satiated. 

In addition, fat is essential for many fat soluble nutrients such as vitamin A, D, E and K meaning a small amount in each meal helps us to absorb more nutrients and is why full fat minimally processed dairy like yoghurt is actually good for us. 

It’s the overall calories we eat daily on a regular basis that cause us to lose or gain weight and extremely low fat in the diet can lead to malnutrition. 

How much saturated fat should we have in our diet?

Saturated fat should not exceed 10% of our total dietary intakes, for a 2000kcal diet this would be 22g. We are very aware of keeping the saturated fat content of our meals low.

My Low Saturated Fat Top Pick

Katsu Chicken/ Tofu

This meal is both low in saturated fat and low in sugar whilst also being full of flavour and packed with veggies.  This meal also comes in low carb and vegan options.