by Natalie Louise Fox

Created on: September 28, 2008   Last Updated: October 06, 2008

How to Eat the Right Fats.

Ever spent hours deliberating over the lunch menu in your favourite restaurant, wondering which particular option had the least amount of calories?

Well, that could soon be a thing of the past if we follow the example set by New York City's Health Department.

Legislation has now been passed forcing some restaurants to make information on the calorie content of their food publically available by printing it on menus.

More good news ... they are also phasing in a ban on Trans fat, meaning that food sold on their premises must contain less than 0.5 grams of Trans fat per portion.

So what exactly is a Trans fat?

A Trans fat is a fat that has been damaged by being processed, or hydrogenised', preventing the body from making use of other, essential, fats.

Biscuits, cakes, fast food and some brands of margarine all contain high levels of these potentially damaging Trans fats.

Known to raise cardiovascular disease-forming cholesterol levels in the blood, Trans fats have many detrimental side effects similar to those caused by the more recognized saturated' fat.

All fat found in food products contain a mixture of both saturated and unsaturated fat, however, the one with the highest percentage ends up on the label.

Common foods high in saturated fat include; pies, sausages, hard cheese and cakes. In an ideal world, no more than a third of our total fat intake would be of the saturated variety. Sharply rising obesity figures show that this advice is sadly being neglected.

Food products containing 5 or more grams of saturated fat per 100 grams are thought to be high'. A saturated fat content lower than 1.5 grams per 100 grams is considered low'.

It is reasonably easy to bring the level of saturated fat that you consume right down without going on a drastic lettuce-embracing diet.

Firstly, you should aim to swap high-fat dairy products for low-fat options such as semi-skimmed milk and reduced fat cheese. Meat eaters should go for a leaner cut of meat, remembering to remove as much skin as possible prior to cooking. Fried food should be strictly avoided; most ovens come with a grill these days!

It's not all bad news though.

Unsaturated fats can reduce the level of damaging cholesterol in your blood and provide you with the healthy fats', otherwise known as essential fatty acids or Omega's 3, 6 & 9.

We should aim to designate a third of our daily fat intake to these healthy fats, which can be supplemented in tablet form but are also found in foods such as oily fish, avocados, nuts and seeds.

Given that it is estimated that 60% of our brain is made up of fat, maybe time spent deliberating over menus is time well spent.

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