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Real Life Nutrition Questions Answered
printReal Life Fitness Questions Answered
Emma Brown
Nutritionist
Janet Aylott
Nutritionist
Kelly Marshall
Fitness Consultant
Q.
What's the difference between saturated and unsaturated fat?
Hi. I am wondering about fat and saturated fat, what is the difference? Also how much salt per day is okay?
A.
Our expert says...
Thanks for your query.
To explain, the fat that’s detailed in your online food diary is total fat, with your personal recommendation being based on government guidelines that say no more than around one third of your calories should come from this nutrient.
Total fat splits into two types – saturated and unsaturated - and it’s saturated fat that is the sort that is not good for your heart because it can raise cholesterol levels in your blood. Not all labels give a fat breakdown, but if they do, it’s good to try not to choose too many foods with more than 5g of saturates per 100g (those with less than 1.5g saturates per 100g are the ones to look for). As a rule of thumb, it’s largely animal foods, eg. butter and full fat dairy, fatty meats etc that are rich in saturated fat.
To keep your fat intake healthy, you should try to both limit your fat intake overall and to choose more of the type that are higher in unsaturated fats (a group that splits into polyunsaturated and monounsaturated). Both poly- and monounsaturated fats are good for your heart , lowering cholesterol. These fats also provide the essential fatty acids necessary for many bodily processes. Unsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, oily fish, nuts, seeds etc, so these are the ones to tuck into in moderation
I hope this helps.
Best wishes
Angela
PS Re your salt question - its recommeneded we have no more tha 6g a day.
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