Memorise these tips on how to minimise the ‘baddies’ of the fat world from your diet – eating too much saturated fats (SAFAs) can raise levels of ‘bad’ blood cholesterol, which can cause a build-up of fatty material and narrowed arteries.
- Trim the fat from meat.
- Check food labels for the saturated fat content.
- Limit your intake of cakes, biscuits, savoury snacks, pastry and confectionery.
- Use vegetable spreads as they contain less SAFAs than butter – and some contain up to 83% less.
- Eat more chicken (without skin) and fish, and less red meat, which contains SAFAs.
- Use vegetable oils rather than butter, lard, dripping or ghee when cooking.
- Choose low- or lower-fat dairy foods such as semi-skimmed milk and low-fat cheeses.
- Go for a pie with a lid but no sides, as pastry is high in SAFAs.
- Buy back bacon rather than streaky bacon.
- Choose a currant bun or malt loaf as a sweet treat rather than cakes or biscuits.
- Grill meat, rather than fry it.
- Use a strongly-flavoured cheese, such as reduced-fat Cheddar – you’ll need less.
- For more information, visit Eat Well or The Fat Panel.
Want to learn more about fats? Go to our Fat or Fiction article