Good sources include sunflower oil, olive oil, rice oil, nuts, rapeseed oil, dark green leafed vegetables and oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, tuna, sardines. The good fats are vital to health, not villainous. Cutting all fats out of your diet is a definite no-no. Cut down on bad fats is the key. Good fats promote health, support your joints and nervous system, and are essential for the cardiovascular system.

Fat is also used for energy. It is a concentrated energy source and an important part of our diet as it provides fat soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids as well as energy to help fuel endurance exercise. Many foods contain fats, including oil, butter, dairy products, meat and nuts. Fatty acids are used as the main alternative energy source to glucose, particularly during lower intensity endurance exercise, but the body cannot convert them into energy as quickly as it can carbohydrates. The body stores excess fatty acids as fat around the major abdominal organs and under the skin. These stores have an unlimited capacity and can continue storing excess fat eventually leading to clinical obesity.

What type of fat? – Fats are classified into 3 categories:

· Saturated
· Monounsaturated
· Polyunsaturated

Saturated fat has negative effects on health, such as increasing bad cholesterol and decreasing good cholesterol. This is found in high amounts in all animal foods, plus palm and coconut oil.

Monounsaturated fat has positive effects on health, as it can increase the good cholesterol and decrease the bad cholesterol. These fats are found in foods such as olive, canola, sesame and peanut oil, avocado, peanuts, and cashews.

Polyunsaturated fat also has positive effects on health, as it can decrease the bad cholesterol and also decrease triglycerides (other fats in the blood). This includes fish oils, sunflower, cottonseed, grape seed and maize oils.

So, replace saturated fats with mono or polyunsaturated fats where possible, eg. use oil instead of butter, use avocado as a spread instead of margarine