Fat facts to know after Eid

Too much fat in your diet, specially saturated fats, can raise your cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease. Cutting down on saturated fats is only one aspect of reducing your risk of heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Other risk factors include eating too much salt and sugar, being overweight, smoking and a lack of physical activity.

During the Eid-ul-Adha, Muslims consume a considerable amount of meat and fat than that of usual. It increases a sudden rise in different level of fats which contribute to certain medical conditions, especially who are already susceptible to related issues. So, it is particularly important to know about fact facts during this time.

Not all fat is bad

A small amount of fat is an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. Fat is a source of essential fatty acids such as omega-3 – "essential" because the body can't make them itself. Fat helps the body absorb vitamins A, D and E. These vitamins are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be absorbed with the help of fats.

Most fats and oils contain both saturated and unsaturated fats in different proportions. As part of a healthy diet, we should try to cut down on foods and drinks high in saturated fats and trans fats and replace some of them with unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats

Most of the saturated fats come from animal sources, including meat and dairy products, as well as some plant foods such as palm oil. Foods high in saturated fats include fatty cuts of meat and meat products, butter, ghee, cheese, cream, ice cream, cakes, pastries and palm oil etc.

While any type of fat in our food can be turned into cholesterol by the body, it's the "sat fat" we need to cut down on because we are eating too much of it. Cholesterol is mostly made in the liver from any type of fat you eat. It's carried in the blood in two ways: as low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL).

Too much LDL cholesterol can lead to fatty deposits developing in the arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. On the other hand, HDL cholesterol has a positive effect by taking cholesterol from parts of the body where there is too much of it, to the liver, where it is disposed of.

The average man should aim to have no more than 30g of saturated fat a day. The average woman should aim to have no more than 20g of saturated fat a day. Children should have less.

Trans fats

Trans fats are found naturally at low levels in some foods, such as those from animals, including meat and dairy products. Like saturated fats, trans fats can raise cholesterol levels in the blood. This is why it is recommended that trans fats should not be taken more than about 5g a day.

Unsaturated fats

If you want to cut your risk of heart disease, it is best to reduce your overall fat intake and swap saturated fats for unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats can be either polyunsaturated or mono-unsaturated. Monounsaturated fats help protect our hearts by maintaining levels of HDL cholesterol while reducing levels of LDL cholesterol. Mono-unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, avocados, some nuts such as almonds and peanuts.

Polyunsaturated fats can help lower the level of LDL cholesterol. There are two types of polyunsaturated fats: omega-3 and omega-6. Omega-6 fats are found in vegetable oils such as corn, sunflower and some nuts. Omega-3 fats are found in oily fish such as mackerel, trout, sardines, salmon and fresh tuna.

Many foods are not necessarily low in calories. Sometimes the fat is replaced with sugar and may end up with similar energy content. To be sure of the fat content and the energy content, remember to check the nutrition label on the packet. Cutting down on fat is only one aspect of achieving a healthy diet.