Choosing healthier fats and oils

Fat is listed in the nutrition information panel as saturated fat and as total fat (which also includes trans fatty acids, polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fat). The total fat present in food is generally made up of a combination of fat types, with one type of fat more predominant than others, depending on the food. To help you understand the nutrition information panel and any fat-related nutrition claims on a food label, you need to understand the different types of fats in foods and their role in the diet.

Saturated fats

Saturated fats are the main type of fat in butter, dairy products, fatty meats, fried take-away foods and many processed foods. They are not an essential component of the diet and they tend to raise the bad cholesterol (LDL), a major risk factor for coronary heart disease.

As part of the Dietary Guidelines for Australians and the New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guidelines,it is recommended that we moderate our intake of total fat and that we limit our intake of saturated fats.

Most vegetable fats do not contain high proportions of saturated fats, however there are exceptions such as palm oil and coconut oil.  

Monounsaturated/Polyunsaturated fats

Monounsaturated fats can be useful in the diet as they can help lower blood cholesterol. Sources of monounsaturated fats include olive, canola and macadamia oils, avocados, nuts, and margarines labelled ‘monounsaturated’.

Polyunsaturated fats are an essential component of the diet. Two important types of polyunsaturated fats are omega 6 fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids. Foods that are good sources of omega 6 fatty acids include sunflower, safflower, soy, and sesame oils; and polyunsaturated margarines. Those foods that are high in omega 3 fatty acids include canola oil or margarine, fish and other seafoods.

Trans fatty acids

Trans fatty acids occur naturally in some animal products such as such as cheese, milk, butter and meat, and are also formed when vegetable oils are hydrogenated (hardened) for use in baked products and other manufactured foods . Foods high in trans fatty acids have been shown not only to increase the bad LDL cholesterol but also to reduce the good HDL cholesterol. Food Standards Australian New Zealand is working with health organisations like the National Heart Foundation and Dietitians Association and the food industry to reduce the amount of trans fatty acids in the Australian and New Zealand food supply.

Trans fatty acids must be listed in the nutrition information panel if there are   claims relating to fats, such as ‘no cholesterol’, ‘low in saturated fat’ or high in polyunsaturates on the food label.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol occurs in animal foods such as offal, meats, full-fat dairy products, egg yolks and kidneys but is not found in oils and fats from plants. Cholesterol in food can raise your blood cholesterol level, particularly in people at high risk of developing heart disease. However, cholesterol in food doesn’t raise levels of blood cholesterol as much as eating saturated and trans fats. Replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats is an effective way of reducing cholesterol in your blood.

Cholesterol claims on food labels such as ‘cholesterol free’ do not mean a food product has no fat. Many foods can be ‘cholesterol free’ but still be high in fat, for example oils, avocado and margarines.

How can you reduce your intake of trans and saturated fats?

While generally we are consuming levels of trans fatty acids well below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of less than 1 per cent of our daily kilojoules, we are obtaining 14 per cent of our daily kilojoules from saturated fats which is well above the Australian and New Zealand recommended levels of saturated fats of 8 to 10 per cent.

We do need to reduce our saturated fats intake. Remember that total fats and saturated fats are already listed on food labels in the nutrition information panel.

You can reduce your fat intakes further by choosing packaged foods with lower levels of total fat (check the nutrition panel) and also choosing less fried food, high fat dairy products, fatty meats, pies or pastries. This will help you reduce your overall consumption of fats and limit your consumption of trans fatty acids and saturated fats.

Labelling of fats and oils

Watch out for claims like ‘cooked in vegetable oil’ which can be confusing. For example palm oil which is used in biscuits and to fry fast foods contains around 50% saturated fat even though it is a vegetable oil and doesn’t contain any cholesterol.