Heartsavers - Diet
One essential element to improve your diet
is to reduce the amount of saturated fats.
Prevention of coronary heart disease.
The role of fats in the diet
A high consumption of fat in the diet is associated with a number of serious diseases, coronary heart disease is one of them.
Diet and fat intake is a major factor in atherosclerosis, the build up of cholesterol containing deposits (plaque) in the arteries which leads to the narrowing of the arteries. This process can begin in childhood. However, there are several different types of fat and not all are bad for you, in fact some types of fat will help to reduce blood cholesterol.
Types of Fat
Saturated Fat, mostly comes from animal sources such as lard, butter, suet, although is found in some vegetable fats, for example, palm oil. Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature. Cholesterol is a related fatty substance found in all animal tissues. Saturated fat can be made in the body and is not essential in the diet.
Polyunsaturated Fats, found mainly in vegetable sources such as sunflower seeds, soya. We'll have more to say about these fats later.
Monounsaturated Fat, found in olive oil, avocados, nuts, most seeds. Very stable at high cooking temperatures. Mediterranean countries tend to have a high intake of monounsaturated fats and have a much lower incidence of coronary heart disease and cancer. This fat can be made in the body and is therefore not essential in the diet.
Trans-Fatty Acids are produced in the manufacturing process when vegetable oils are "hydrogenated" to make them solid, for use in processed food such as margarine, factory made cakes, pastries, etc May act in the body the same way as saturated fat and increase your risk of heart disease in the same way. Check the label on processed foods you buy (especially margarine) if it says contains hydrogenated vegetable oils, then it will also contain trans-fatty acids.
The Role of Polyunsaturated Fat in the Diet
Their are two types of polyunsaturated fat that cannot be made in the body, which are: Linoleic Acid and Alpha-linolenic Acid.
These must be obtained from the diet and are known as:
The Essential Fatty Acids
These are vital for good health and are converted in the body to more complex types of polyunsaturated acids and are important for maintaining the membranes of all cells, for making prostaglandin's, which control many body processes; and for regulating cholesterol metabolism.
Food sources of linoleic acid include vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, seeds, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, eggs and poultry.
Food sources of alpha-linolenic acid include flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, soyabean oils, walnut oils, rapeseed oils, leafy green vegetables.
Recommended Fat Intakes
The amount of fat required in your diet will vary with age, young children for example will need a higher amount of fat in their diet than older children and adults. The Department of Health recommend that around 30% of your daily calorie intake should come from fat. This compares with the actual average daily intake of the population of around 40% and of course many people exceed this average figure.
Many experts think that the daily intake for adults should be even lower than the figure quoted above at no more than 20% of daily calorie intake.
The best sort of fats to eat are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Both are believed to reduce the risk of heart disease. The ideal balance between these is a ratio of 2:1 in favour of monounsaturated fat. In other words for each gram of polyunsaturated fat you eat, you should eat two grams of monounsaturated fat.
Cut down as much as you can on saturated and trans-fats and remember that regardless of the type of fats consumed you should still aim to get no more than 20% of your daily energy intake from fat.