Types of fats
There are a few different types of fats that can be found in the foods you eat. Looking at the ingredients list on the packaging of foods can help you identify the fats that are included in them.
Saturated Fats
These are often referred to as less healthy fats, as they have been linked to increased LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke1. Saturated fats are generally found in animal products, such as meat and dairy products and the products that contain them, for example cakes, biscuits and pastries2. They can also be found in some vegetable fats (e.g. coconut oil). You can identify these fats fairly easily as they generally remain solid at room temperature.
Trans Fats
Like saturated fats, these are also linked with an increase in LDL cholesterol, but an even bigger increase. Trans fats are sometimes naturally present in meat and dairy products, but they are also occasionally used in the form of “partially hydrogenated” fats as a preservative in processed foods. Although most manufacturers now either avoid or limit the use of hydrogenated fats in their products, looking for ingredients referred to as “partially hydrogenated” fats and oils will enable you to identify foods that contain trans fats3.
Unsaturated Fats
There are two types of unsaturated fats; polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Polyunsaturated fats have been linked with a reduction in both LDL and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, and can be found in plant based products such as sunflower and sesame oil. Monounsaturated fats, however, have been linked with a reduction in LDL cholesterol without impacting HDL cholesterol, and can be found in olives, avocados, some nuts and seeds and their related products. Because they have a positive impact on cholesterol, unsaturated fats are considered to be more healthy than saturated fats.
Essential Fatty Acids
These are omega-3 and omega-6 fats that our bodies need and are unable to make themselves, so are therefore needed in our diets. There are a number of different types of these fatty acids, with different ones being linked with increased metabolism, reduced cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease, protection against memory loss and dementia, and healthy child development during pregnancy and breastfeeding3. These essential fatty acids can be found in oily fish, some nuts and seeds, some vegetable oils, soya products, eggs, beans and green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale.