“These days women are so confused, they’ll snap up fat-free foods at the supermarket, then turn around and munch their way through a cheeseburger,” says dietitian Rosa Mo, a nutrition professor.
Fortunately, researchers have now singled out what kinds of fat you should eat, and how much you need every day.
Fat won’t make you fat
You may think any fat you consume will go straight from your lips to your hips, but that’s not entirely accurate. “The only way to avoid putting on those extra kilos is to keep your kilojoule intake in check. It’s all about burning off the same amount as you take in,” she says.
In fact, upping your fat intake may actually help you slim down. Researchers at Stanford University (US) found that people who ate a moderate-fat diet lost twice as much weight in two months as those who followed a low-fat plan. “Fat takes longer for your stomach to digest, so you feel fuller for longer,” says Mo.
Your body needs it
“You literally can’t survive without fat,” says dietitian Joan Salge Blake. In addition to acting as an energy source, she says, fat provides a protective cushion for your bones and organs and keeps your hair and skin healthy. What’s more, fat helps your body to absorb certain vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K, from all the healthy fare you so dutifully pile onto your plate.
The difference between so-called bad and good fats is that bad fats (saturated and trans fats) are usually found in animal-based and processed foods (think steak, cheese, butter and doughnuts), while good fats (poly- and mono-unsaturated ones) come from fish and plant sources, such as salmon, olives and soyabean oils, nuts and seeds.
One study found that for every five percent increase in total kJ from saturated fat a woman consumes, her risk of heart disease jumps by 17 percent. Good fats, on the other hand, can have the opposite effect. A woman’s odds drop by 42 percent for every five percent increase in unsaturated fat.
That’s why experts advise getting nearly all your fat kJ from unsaturated fats; less than 10 percent should come from saturated fat and less than one percent from trans fat.
Finally, read nutrition labels on processed foods and choose ones with the least amount of saturated fat and zero grams of trans fat per serving.
“Trans fat-free” labels can be misleading
Most food manufacturers scrambled to rejig their recipes in order to label them “trans fat-free.” But many are “still loaded with unhealthy saturated fat from palm oil, butter, or other sources,” explains dietitian Jane Badham, a member of the Food Legislation Advisory Group, and Shape’s advisory board.
It’s also important to know that you can’t always believe everything you read: Even those products that claim to be trans fat-free can legally still contain up to half a gram per serving. To spot hidden sources of trans fat, scan ingredient lists for partially hydrogenated oil or shortening.
Fish contains the healthiest fats
Although there’s no such thing as a cure-all, omega-3 fatty acids come pretty close. Research reveals that this type of polyunsaturated fat (found in cold-water fish, such as salmon, sardines and anchovies, as well as in flax seed, walnuts, omega-3-fortified eggs and red meat from grass-fed animals) can do everything from lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels to fight memory loss and improve your skin.
Lower doesn’t always mean better
“It’s true that a diet high in fat is usually high in kilojoules too, which raises your risk of becoming obese and developing chronic diseases, like heart disease and diabetes,” says Denise Snyder, a dietitian and clinical trials manager.
But going too low can also be bad for your health. Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who consumed a mere 20 percent of their kJ from fat had the same rates of heart attack, stroke, and certain cancers as those who ate nearly twice as much.
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