Isolated avocadoIs it just me or has the world of nutrition gone a little mad? Specifically, I am referring to some rather interesting fat fetishes I have encountered while surfing the web. The craze with coconut fat is just one example with bloggers swearing by its use for everything from a butter alternative to a bottom rash cream.

There has been a long standing debate around the benefits or dangers of dietary fat and in particular saturated fat, which is with a few exceptions largely the fat derived from animal products (think processed meat, full fat dairy and lots of ‘snacky’ foods like chips, biscuits and cakes). Many years ago, research highlighted the connection between saturated fat and heart disease, which sparked food manufacturers to produce aisles of low fat products and a ‘low fat everything’ frenzy began. Notice though, how as a population, we’re not all walking around skinnier and in A1 health? In fact, Australia has been ranked one of the top fattest nations in the world.

Whats the issue?

The issue with many of these low fat products was brought to light by recent research demonstrating that if you replace saturated fat with carbohydrates or protein there is no reduction in health risk. For example, if you take the fat out of yoghurt but fill it up with refined sugar it’s no healthier than the original, higher fat, version. Once again, the media ran rampant with these findings with headlines reading: ‘Saturated fat is not bad’ and ‘Saturated fat is actually good for us’. Like many other nutrition fads, this research was blown out of context and people got silly with it; bullet proof coffee anyone? Are people really drinking coffee made on butter!

The problem with getting so hung up on fat (or any nutrient actually) is that we lose sight of the ‘big picture’ and get carried away in the hype. You see, low fat foods can be a good choice (celery and carrot sticks) or a shabby choice (99% fat free bag of lolly snakes). The same goes for high fat foods. For example, 10 macadamia nuts contains as much fat as a large fries, yet these foods are a world apart in terms of nutritional quality.

So clearly, not all fats are created equally. Some should be eaten less and others more. Interestingly, there is no direct relationship between the total amount of fat in diet and health risk. Rather it’s the type of fat or fat ratio that really matters.

So how do we know what fats to eat?

While it is true that not all saturated fats are evil as previously suggested, some are most certainly linked to heart disease (sorry bullet proof coffee lovers). This is due to their ability to increase ‘bad’ cholesterol and this fact has always remained so. Saturated fat has never been linked to health benefits whereas other fats such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats found in lots of natural, whole foods have plenty of evidence supporting their use for good health and particularly heart health.

The simplest way to ensure you are getting the right type of fats is to adopt a whole foods approach. This means: reducing the amount of highly processed foods (sweet and savoury biscuits, chips, fatty processed meats, creamy sauces, chocolate) and choosing plenty of whole food sources of healthy fats.

Choose:

  • Oily fish: salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna
  • Nuts (especially walnuts)
  • Omega 3 enriched eggs
  • Plant and seed derived oils: olive, canola, sunflower, safflower
  • Avocado
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Seeds, in particular linseeds
  • Lean meats and poultry
  • Plant-based spreads
  • Nut butters
  • Seedy breads

Practical ways to get a good dose of healthy fats:

  • Use avocado instead of butter
  • Use natural nut butters as a spread, in smoothies or stirred through porridge
  • Go nuts about nuts: small handful as a snack, few tablespoons trail mix served on yoghurt with fruit
  • Have a couple of fish meals each week
  • Sprinkle cereal with LSA (wholesome blend of seeds and nuts)
  • Drizzle salad and steamed veg with a good quality extra virgin olive oil

The end result?

When we take a whole-foods approach including plenty of natural healthy foods and rely less on the overly processed stuff then the fat ratio within the diet will generally sort itself out and you will find it to be a longterm fix.

More recipe inspiration: Salmon Salad with Yoghurt Dressing and Quinoa and Linseed Balls.

This article was written by Rebecca Shepherd, intern from the University of Canberra at The Healthy Eating Hub. 

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References

World Health Organisation. World Health Statistics 2015.

Available at www.who.int/gh0/publications/world_health_statistics/2015/en/

Hooper L, Martin N, Abdelhamid A, Davey Smith G. Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD011737. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011737.

National Heart Foundation of Australia: Summary of evidence. Dietary fats and dietary cholesterol for cardiovascular health. Melbourne, NHFA, 2009.

National Heart Foundation of Australia: A review of the relationship between dietary fat and cardiovascular disease. Aust J Nutr Diet. 56: S5-S22, 1999.