4 Tips To Cut Down On Fat

4 Tips To Cut Down On Fat

Although we need fats in our diet, many of us are unaware of how to maintain a healthy weight because we’re not consuming the right amount and types of fat.

Cutting down on fat is not as hard as we think, and it doesn’t necessarily mean we have to give up our favorite foods. Get started with these simple tips.

Good oil

When cooking, get into the habit of using a small amount of oil, margarine, and butter. Grease pans with cooking spray, or use a pastry brush to apply oils and spreads directly to food instead of adding it to the pan.

Use unsaturated oils and spreads, such as canola, olive, safflower, sunflower, corn, or soy. Watch coconut oil and cream, they’re high in saturated fat.

Check labels

Food labels are listed in order of quantity. That means if the label on the product lists fats first, it means it’s high in fat. Be on the lookout for other fats on labels too (such as oil, shortening, cocoa butter, or cream). Go for ‘low’ or reduced fat dairy products. And when selecting processed foods, choose those with less than 5 g per 100 g of total fat.

Be dairy aware

Go for low or reduced-fat dairy products when you can. Full-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, and alternatives are important sources of calcium and nutrients in our diet but can increase our kilojoule count if we’re not careful. Unless a recipe states otherwise, stick to reduced or low-fat varieties.

Limit your intake of meals with creamy sauces and swap them for pesto, salsa, chutneys, and tomato-based sauces – they’re much better on our waistlines! Use low-fat yogurt or milk, evaporated skim milk, or cornflower instead of cream in sauces or soups.

Fats we love

Unsaturated fats are great for our bodies – they lower our cholesterol levels and give us the fatty acids we need. These ‘good fats’ come in two forms – polyunsaturated and monounsaturated.

Polyunsaturated fats can be found in fish (especially oily fish), nuts (walnuts and Brazil nuts), seeds (such as sesame – hommus and tahini are great!), polyunsaturated margarine, and some oils (sunflower, safflower, soy, and corn.) Monounsaturated fats are found in avocado, nuts and nut spreads (peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews, and almonds), margarine spreads (such as canola or olive oil based), and oils such as olive, canola, and peanut oil.