food
These foods, although an important energy source, often contain few other nutrients, so it's healthier to limit their consumption.
What are they?
This group, which includes foods such as cakes, biscuits, sweets, sugar-sweetened drinks and crisps, makes up the smallest section of the Food Standards Agency's 'eatwell plate'.
The two types of fat
Fat can be divided into two main groups - saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fat is generally solid at room temperature and is usually from animal sources. It's found in lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese, whole milk and anything that contains these ingredients, such as cakes, chocolate, biscuits, pies and pastries. It's also the white fat you can see on red meat and underneath poultry skin.
How much saturated fat you eat is associated with increased blood cholesterol concentrations and an increased risk of heart disease. Eating less helps to minimise the risks it poses to heart health.
Unsaturated fat is usually liquid at room temperature and generally comes from vegetable sources. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are both included in this group.
Unsaturated vegetable oils are a healthier alternative to saturated fat and can be found in sesame, sunflower, soya and olive oil, soft margarine and in foods such as oily fish, including mackerel, sardines, pilchards and salmon. Where possible, you should ensure the fat you eat is unsaturated.
Did you know...?
A jam doughnut contains 10.9g fat
A slice of malt loaf contains 0.7g fat
A teaspoon of peanut butter contains 5.4g fat A pint of whole milk contains 22.8 g fat A handful of mixed nuts contains 21.6g fat
How much is enough?
Government guidelines recommend fats make up no more than 35 per cent of the energy in your diet, and that saturated fats should provide less than 11 per cent of total energy intake.
For the average woman, this means about 70g of total fat a day; for men, roughly 95g.
The latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey showed that, on average, UK adults consume about the right amount of fat, but that the intake of saturated fats is currently too high for good health (at present they provide about 13 per cent of total energy).
To reduce the amount of fat in your diet, try the following:
Trim any visible fat off meat and poultry
Buy lean cuts of meat and reduced-fat minces
Poach, steam, grill or bake food rather than fry it
Swap whole milk for semi-skimmed or skimmed
Opt for low-fat dairy products
If you use lard, butter or hard margarine, switch to vegetable oil and low-fat spreads
