fat or fiction?

So last week me and some chums at Fruit Towers were trying to shift a few pounds on the veg pot and smoothie plan. Sorry I didn't post up the biggest loser last week but the volunteers have been shying away from the scales (don't worry I'll catch them this week - watch out guys).

Anyway it got me thinking about fat in the diet. I thought now might be a good time to explain some of it. So there are 3 types of fats and these are called saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Saturated fats are the "not so good" fats and oils that we should try and cut down. This is because they can raise cholesterol in the blood which can lead to heart disease. These are things like hard fats such as butter, lard, the fat found in meat and the stuff in pastries and pies.  As well as cutting down on saturated fats we should also try and eat less trans fats (they are sometimes called hydrgenated vegetable oils). These are found in things like pastry and cakes and are vegetable oils that have been processed to make them hard.

The "good fats" and oils that we should go for instead are the type that can help lower blood cholesterol and also make the blood less likely to clot. These include unsaturated fats and oils and are found in things like nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits. There are 2 types called polyunsaturated  and monounsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats are things like sunflower and corn oils, whilst monounsaturated fats are oils like olive and rapeseed oil.

The other type of unsaturated fat which are important are omega- 3 fats. You need to get these in your diet as the body cannot make enough by itself. Oily fish such as mackerel, pilchards,sardines and salmon are good sources. You can get some in smaller amounts by eating walnuts, soya, flax, linseed and rapeseed oil.  I'm not too keen on oily fish (my poor Mum used to get very cross as she grew up in Sri-Lanka the land of fish curries) so I eat walnuts everyday and use rapeseed oil when I cook. I also find it really helps with my dry skin especially over the winter months.

Let me know if you've got any questions about fats. Oh and I put butter on my toast, after all a little bit of what you fancy does no harm at all.

Bye for now

dr shilps

Comments

[Dave]

So fish is good but cakes are bad... What about fish cakes??

[Rhianna Alderson]

I agree with the rapeseed oil tip; I suffer with psoriasis which flares up really badly in the winter - and when I'm stressed (most of the time) and, since switching from olive to rapeseed, I've noticed an improvement - not a vast one, but it's noticeable...

I also have butter on my toast - with honey!! Lovely thick multigrain seeded toast..Mmm I could use some of that right now...Have I got any bread, I wonder...?

[Raj Awasti]

Does olive oil contain any Omega-3 Dr. Shilps or is rapeseed oil the way forward?
I also heard that it can help with diabetes and arthritis?

PS: I think you're gorgeous!

[dr shilps]

So, olive oil is made from the flesh of olives rather than the seeds. It contains 90 percent unsaturated fats, most of which are the cholesterol-lowering monosaturates. This makes olive oil a good choice for your heart. Olive oil is medium in omega 6, but low in omega 3 fatty acids. Rapeseed oil has a better ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 than olive oil. Better still is flax oil. A combination of flax oil and olive oil in the diet strikes a healthy balance. And omega-3 fats are indeed a contributor to the control of inflammation often seen in arthritis.

The important thing is that we try eat a varied diet so that we get the essential fatty acids we need.