Fat is still considered taboo amongst people counting calories and wanting to lose weight with the view that all fat is bad. Yet certain groups of fats – essential fatty acids (EFA) – are vital for health just like vitamins and minerals.

In fact we need fat for many processes in the body like transporting fat soluble vitamins, producing hormones and stabilising cell membranes. The ones we don't need are the heated processed fats in vegetable oils and trans fatty acids like the ones found in maragrines. These damaged fats can also be hidden in many cakes, biscuits and pastries and other processed and take-away foods.

These fats have undesirable effects on the body including stimulating the production of blood cholesterol.

On the other hand, essential fats actually improve health and some are essential to life. These are found in fish especially fatty fish (cod, salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel), nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, brazil nuts), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseeds), legumes and soya beans, leafy greens and evening primrose and borage oil. Extra virgin olive oil and avocadoes are also a good source of monounsaturated fat but these are not considered essential for life.

Including more essential fats in your diet can have the following effects:

·        reducing pain and inflammation (eg in arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease)

·        improving the skin and nails (useful in the treatment of skin diseases such as eczema)

·        improving circulation and reducing blood clotting (eg in heart disease)

·        assisting in the production of hormones

·        improving immune function and protecting against some types of cancers (breast and colon cancer)

·        improving liver function and decreasing cholesterol

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To maximise the supply of beneficial fats:

1.      Aim to eat 3 meals of fish per week. This can include some tinned tuna or salmon. Reduce the amount of red meat to once per week or less.

2.     Reduce fat in dairy products and opt for a dairy alternative like soy or rice milk. Eat fresh white cheeses like goats, mozzarella, halloumi, a couple of times a week.

3.      Avoid margarines. Use hommos (contains olive oil and sesame seeds paste), avocado, tahini or dip your bread into extra virgin olive oil. Use butter sparingly.

4.      In salad dressings use extra virgin olive oil or a cold pressed vegetable oil seed/nut oil like flax or walnut and for cooking sesame oil or olive oil

5.      Include nuts and seeds in salads, on pasta or rice. Grind up sunflower and pumpkin seeds and add one heaped tablespoon to your breakfast cereal in the morning. Add a handful of pine nuts to a risotto, walnuts to pasta or cashew nuts on a rice or noodle dish.

6.      Include leafy greens daily…spinach, sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, Boston lettuce, parsley.

7.      Replace meat with bean and lentil dishes once per week like lentil soup and dhal. 

Anyone who has a raised blood cholesterol level can include eggs and prawns occasionally if they follow the above recommendations and improve their liver function by avoiding alcohol and saturated/damaged fats.

Here is a recipe to get you started: 

Salmon Rice Loaf

 440gm of canned salmon drained

2 eggs beaten

3 tbs of low fat yoghurt

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

1 tbs of lemon juice

½ cup cooked rice

2 tbs of grated Parmesan

1 sheet of nori seaweed finely chopped or cooked spinach leaves or chopped parsley (ie anything green!)

Place all the ingredients into a bowl and combine well. Spoon salmon mixture into prepared loaf tin, cover with foil and bake at 200degC for 45 minutes. Allow the loaf to stand for 10 mins before turning out. Serve with jacket potatoes and cooked vegetables. Serves 4

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