Why you should eat less saturated fat
Saturated fat is classified as unhealthy and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Together with trans-fat these are the types of fat we should eat less of. Do you know what sources to avoid to decrease the amount of saturated fat in your diet?
Fat isn’t just fat. We are dependent on it to stay alive but amongst the four main types two are creating more trouble than the others. While unsaturated and polyunsaturated fat brings essential nutrition, eating too much saturated fat will have a negative impact on our health. The health directorate recommend eating less saturated fat.
What is saturated fat, really?
Saturated fat is mainly found in animal products such as meat and dairy products. This fat has single bonds between the atoms and is fully saturated with hydrogen atoms. A rule of thumb is that saturated fat has a solid consistency but get soft in room temperature. A tip to eat less saturated fat is by exchanging it to unsaturated fats. Plant based oils like canola, sunflower, corn, soya or olive are better alternatives than hard margarine.
Foods that contain lots of saturated fat:
- Butter and hard margarine
- Cream
- Cheese
- Bacon
- Biscuits
What happens if you eat too much saturated fat?
The saturated fat increases your level of LDL cholesterol. This is the “bad” type of cholesterol that causes an inflammation-like process which causes the artery wall to thicken. Over time a layer of plaque develops, forcing poor blood circulation. When this plaque-development take place in the arteries supplying the heart muscle with blood the result may be fatal. To improve your cardiovascular conditions, you should therefore eat less saturated fat whenever possible.
Sources to saturated fat
The typical sources of saturated fat are animal products. Butter and margarine that turns solid in fridge temperature is rich in saturated fats, in addition to fat dairy products such as milk, cream and cheese. Meat products and processed foods are also normal sources.
How can you eat less saturated fat?
You can easily decrease the amount of saturated fat in your diet by making conscious choices. Cookies, biscuits, chips and chocolate are sinners you can skip completely without risking losing other important nutrients. The cravings for sweet might not be that easily handled but if you manage to avoid these foods you will benefit greatly. As a boost, Royal Burner might be a helping hand in the matter. This dietary supplement comes from 100% natural products and helps to conquer hunger and cravings. Read more about Royal Burner here.
Other ways to eat less saturated fat is to remover the fat on products like bacon and meat, avoid ready-made sauces and choose lean dairy products. Salami, sausages, minced meat and other fat meat products are high in saturated fat and should be limited.
Simple tips to eat less saturated fat:
- Vegetables, fruits and wholegrain products should be the base of your diet.
- Plant based oils are better alternatives to butter, hard margarine and coconut fat/oil.
- Lean dairy products contain less saturated fat than the normal ones.
- Eat more fish to reduce the amount of meat and increase the amount of healthy fat.
- Reduce the amount of candy and sweets throughout the week to eat less saturated fat.