MEDIA RELEASE    

Know the good from the bad when it comes to fat

Sydney, 30 November, 2009 - The supermarket shelves are full of food packages emblazoned with ‘low fat’ and ‘fat free’ messages and for many of us, healthy eating or going on a diet means simply cutting out the fat.

Nutrition scientist Dr Joanna McMillan Price says that nutritional advice for health and weight control has traditionally focused on lowering fat intake: “This focus may have lead many of us to become "fat phobic", attempting to eliminate all fats from our diet, and the food industry has responded by producing low-fat and fat-free products, marketed as healthy options to their full fat originals.”

The low fat phenomenon began in the late 1980s but it has done little to cut obesity rates, which have more than doubled in Australia in the past two decades. Part of the reason for this could be that people are of the mind that if they don’t eat fat, they won’t get fat – forgetting that high calorie, low fat foods will also hinder weight loss.

Joanna says that while it is important to monitor fat intake, cutting out all fats and replacing them with other food types, like carbohydrates, to control your weight may be in vain: “The low-fat message omits the fact that healthy fats are essential in our diet. The best approach is to concentrate on reducing harmful fats such as saturated or trans fats, while including healthy fats in moderation.”

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity reported that the Mediterranean diet, which is known to comprise healthy fats, especially olive oil, was found to be more effective in helping people to lose weight and sustain weight loss than a strict low fat diet.

Joanna says that our bodies need a certain amount of good fats for us to remain healthy: “Fat provides us essential fatty acids necessary to keep our bodies working properly, as well as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.  We also need fat to absorb many antioxidants so adding a quality fat dressing, such as one based on olive oil, helps you make the most of the nutrients in your salad.”

The Department of Health and Ageing healthy weight website advises people to  “replace trans fats in their diet with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fatty acids which help lower blood cholesterol levels.”

One of the best home grown sources of monounsaturated fats is Australian extra virgin olive oil. “It cannot be stressed enough what a positive effect olive oil has on the body, particularly extra virgin olive oil, which can be used in place of butter or other oils, known to be higher in saturated fat”, adds Joanna.

There is a consistent body of scientific evidence that states that diets rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, present in extra virgin olive oil, are associated with lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol, reduced blood pressure and reduced oxidative stress on the body resulting in a lower risk of some cancers.

Australian extra virgin olive oil is extracted from the fruit without the use of chemicals or excessive heat. As well as being a ‘good fat’, Australian extra virgin olive oil has high levels of beneficial polyphenol antioxidants and monounsaturated oleic acid, which have a positive impact on health, and is renowned for its unique very low level of saturated palmitic acid.

Joanna’s tips on good and bad fats:

Fats to reduce

• Saturated fats: Butter, full fat dairy products (e.g. whole milk, cheese, cream and ice-cream), animal fat (e.g. visible fat on meat, bacon and poultry), biscuits and cakes, pastries and pies, palm oil.
• Trans fats: Commercial biscuits, cakes, pastries and fast food.

Good fats to include in moderation

• Monounsaturated fats: Extra virgin olive oil (choose Australian), avocado, many nuts, (almonds, macadamias, cashews, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts & peanuts) peanut butter and unrefined peanut oil.
• Omega-6 Polyunsaturated fats: Sunflower oil, soy bean oil, seeds and seed oils, nuts (e.g. brazil, pine and walnuts).
• Omega-3 Polyunsaturated fats: Oily fish (e.g. salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel, herring, tuna), flaxseed oil, omega-3 enriched eggs, seaweed.

If you think you fall into the ‘fat phobic’ category, get to know your fats. The table below shows how you can convert butter in a recipe to Australian extra virgin olive oil for healthier cooking.