Fats and oils
If a food contains trans fats do they have to be mentioned
in the ingredients and the nutritional information on the
label?
Trans fats (also called trans fatty acids) don’t have
to be included in the ingredient list of a food. However,
hydrogenated fats are usually declared in the ingredient list
and, since trans fats are formed during the process of hydrogenation,
foods that contain hydrogenated fats will also contain trans
fats.
In the nutritional information on the label, trans fats are
counted as part of the total fat. But they don’t have
to be listed separately, unless the label makes a claim about
them, such as ‘low in trans fats’. Trans fats
are not classed as saturates, monounsaturates or polyunsaturates,
so they won’t be included in the figures for these.
Trans fats have no known nutritional benefits and because
of the effect they have on blood cholesterol, they increase
the risk of coronary heart disease. Evidence suggests that
the effects of trans fats are worse than saturated fats.
Some food products claim to lower cholesterol in the blood.
Do they work?
There is evidence that foods containing certain added ingredients,
such as plant sterols and stanols, can reduce levels of cholesterol
in the blood. But there isn’t enough evidence to say
what the long-term effects of eating these products might
be.
If your doctor has told you that you have high cholesterol,
you can help to lower it by changing your diet, without eating
special products.
1- Cut down on foods that are high in saturated fat
such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, meat pies, sausages, hard
cheese, cream,
butter and foods containing coconut or
palm oil. This is because eating too much saturated fat can
raise cholesterol levels.
2- Choose foods that are rich in unsaturated fats instead,
such as oily fish, avocados and sunflower, rapeseed and olive
oils.
Unsaturated fats can help to lower cholesterol.
3- Like saturated fats, trans fats can raise
cholesterol levels. Trans fats are found in foods that contain
hydrogenated fats, including
some types of biscuits, cakes, fast food,
pastry, margarine and spreads.
4- And don’t forget that we should also
reduce the total amount of fat we eat. So try microwaving,
steaming, poaching, boiling or
grilling, instead of roasting or frying;
choose lean cuts of meat and go for low-fat varieties of dairy
products and spreads.
5- You can eat plenty of starchy foods, such
as bread, pasta and rice, as well as fruit and vegetables
– aim for five portions of a
variety of types every day.
Regular physical activity, such as brisk walking, swimming
or cycling, can also help to improve your cholesterol levels.
My family is originally from Pakistan and we eat lots of traditional
food. My GP has told me to reduce the amount of saturated
fat I eat.
How can I do this?
The traditional Pakistani diet can be very healthy, because
it often contains plenty of vegetables, starchy foods such
as rice and bread, and good sources of protein such as meat,
fish, beans and pulses.
Some Pakistani (and Indian) dishes can be high in saturated
fat, but you can reduce this by making some simple changes
to your diet and the way you cook. And this will be good for
the health of the whole family.
Eating too much saturated fat can raise levels of cholesterol
in our blood, which increases the chance of developing heart
disease. Cutting down on fat will also help you maintain a
healthy weight.
Foods that are high in saturated fat include ghee, butter,
hard margarine, palm oil, coconut oil, coconut cream, hard
cheese, fatty meat, sausages and cakes.
One of the easiest changes you can make is to cut down on
the amount of ghee or oil you use when cooking. Use a spoon
to measure, so you know how much you’re using. Try to
use rapeseed, sunflower or olive oil, which are high in unsaturated
fat, instead of ghee.
Here are some other ways to cut down on saturated fat:
1- Choose lean cuts of meat and chicken without skin.
2- Use semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, rather than full-fat,
condensed or evaporated milk.
3- Choose low-fat yoghurt and cheese.
4- Cut down on deep-fried snacks such as pakoras,
samosas, bhajis, crisps and chips.
5- Cut down on sweets, desserts and chocolates.
6- Stick to dry curries, rather than dishes
with rich or creamy sauces.
We need starchy foods for energy, so eat plenty of bread,
rice, pasta and potatoes, choosing brown or wholemeal varieties
when you can. Chapattis are a good choice because they’re
lower in fat than paratha or naan.
And finally, don’t forget to eat plenty of fruit and
vegetables – at least five portions a day.
How do I know if a spread contains hydrogenated fat?
Margarines and similar spreads must have a list of their ingredients
on the packaging. If the oil used to make the spread has been
hydrogenated, it must say this in the ingredients list too.
Hydrogenation is the process of turning liquid oil into solid
fat. During this process, trans fats are formed. Trans fats
raise the type of cholesterol in the blood that increases
the risk of coronary heart disease. Evidence suggests that
trans fats have worse effects on the body than saturated fats.
As part of a healthy diet, we should try to reduce the amount
of saturated fats and trans fats we eat and replace them with
unsaturated fats. And it’s also important to reduce
the total amount of fat we eat. So, for a healthy choice it’s
better to choose a low-fat spread that contains little or
no hydrogenated fat.
Please can you tell me exactly what ingredients go into
‘vegetable oil’?
My son is allergic to rapeseed oil so I’m concerned
that if this is a part of vegetable oil he may react to products
that contain it.
In the UK, vegetable oil is usually a mixture of oils such
as rapeseed, sunflower, soya, maize, coconut or palm kernel
oils.
By law, packaged foods must include a list of ingredients.
When ‘vegetable oil’ appears in the list, this
can refer to refined oil made from vegetables or other edible
plants, but not olive oil.
Any vegetable oil used in packaged foods sold in the UK will
have been refined. The refining process removes proteins from
the oil. Since it’s the proteins in oils that can cause
allergic reactions, sensitive people probably won’t
react to refined oils.
This means that your son should be able to eat packaged foods
that contain vegetable oil, without having an allergic reaction.
However, he should avoid unrefined rapeseed or vegetable oils,
because these may still contain the proteins that sensitive
people can react to.
I can’t stand the taste of any type of fish so I
never eat it. However, I understand that fatty acids are an
important part of a healthy diet. What other foods contain
them?
It’s true that the fatty acids found in oily fish (long-chain
omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) are an important part
of a healthy diet. A type of omega 3 is also found in some
vegetable oils, such as linseed, flaxseed, walnut and rapeseed,
but not the same type of fatty acid that is found in oily
fish.
Recent evidence suggests that the type of fatty acids found
in these oils may not have the same benefits as the fatty
acids found in oily fish.
The omega 3 fatty acids found in oily fish can help prevent
coronary heart disease by decreasing the tendency of the blood
to clot and by reducing inflammation.
We recommend people to eat two portions of fish a week, including
one portion of oily fish, such as mackerel or sardines. If
you don’t like fish, you could try adding it to recipes
with other ingredients, or serving it with a strong sauce
(such as curry or cheese) to disguise the taste.
So, based on the evidence we have at the moment, oily fish
is the main source of this type of longer-chain omega 3 fatty
acids.
What are hydrogenated fats and trans fats?
Hydrogenation is the process of turning liquid oil into solid
fat. The final product of this process is called hydrogenated
fat, or sometimes 'hydrogenated vegetable oil'. It tends to
be used in foods such as biscuits, cakes, fast food, pastry
and margarine.
During the process of hydrogenation, trans fats are formed.
This means that foods that contain hydrogenated fats (usually
declared in the ingredient list) will also contain trans fats.
Trans fats have no known nutritional benefits and because
of the effect they have on blood cholesterol, they increase
the risk of coronary heart disease. Evidence suggests that
the effects of trans fats are worse than saturated fats.
So, as part of a healthy diet, we should try to reduce the
amount of foods we eat that contain hydrogenated or saturated
fats and replace them with unsaturated fats. And it’s
also important to reduce the total amount of fat we eat.
Biscuits, cakes, pastries, meat pies, sausages, hard cheese,
butter and foods containing coconut or palm oil all tend to
be high in saturated fats, so try not to eat too much of these.
Foods that are rich in unsaturated fats include oily fish,
avocados, nuts and sunflower, rapeseed and olive oils.
How does margarine compare to butter?
Generally, margarine tends to have the same fat content as
butter, about 81 g fat per 100 g. The difference between butter
and margarine is the type of fat they contain.
Margarine tends to contain unsaturated fat, which is generally
better for us than the saturated fat found in butter. Saturated
fats are usually solid at room temperature, while unsaturated
ones are mainly liquid.
By law, margarine can't be labelled 'low fat'. Many of the
products sold alongside butter and margarine are low-fat spreads.
These can contain up to half the fat of butter or margarine.
Both margarine and low-fat spreads are usually fortified with
vitamin D, which, among other things, is important for healthy
bones.
Whether you choose to eat butter, margarine or low-fat spread
depends on your taste and personal preference. But bear in
mind that we should get no more than 35% of our total daily
energy (calories) from fat, and no more than 11% from saturated
fat. This means we should eat high-fat foods sparingly.
So, it's OK to eat a small amount of butter as part of a healthy
balanced diet, but you might find that using low-fat spreads
will help you reduce the amount of fat in your diet, and contribute
to an overall healthy diet.
What is the benefit of olive oil compared to other vegetable
oil? Is it any good to prepare all your food with olive oil
if you can afford it?
-
Olive oil
is a healthy choice because it is low in saturated fat
and high in unsaturated fat. But it is quite expensive
and there are other oils that are also good choices.
-
All oils
contain varying proportions of different forms of fat.
Saturated and unsaturated fats are the main types.
-
As well
as aiming to cut down on fat, we should also be trying
to replace saturates with unsaturates.
-
There are
two types of unsaturated fat, polyunsaturates and monounsaturates.
Polyunsaturates, and to a lesser extent, monounsaturates,
have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and
therefore help in reducing the risk of heart disease.
-
Rapeseed
oil, which like olive oil contains mostly monounsaturated
fat, is a good and cheaper alternative to olive oil.
Sunflower, soya bean and corn oil all contain mostly
polyunsaturated fat so are also good choices.
-
Some oils
are labelled as vegetable oil or blended vegetable oils.
All of these are also low in saturated fat and are generally
cheaper.
-
But remember,
whichever unsaturated oil you use, try to use as little
as possible.
-
It can
help to measure oil for cooking with tablespoons rather
than pouring straight from a container and you can gradually
try to reduce the number of spoonfuls you use.
For more information on fats, see Fats and sugars in
the Your daily diet section
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