Kinetik Your fitness HRM2 - Manual (Page 25)

Diet and Lifestyle Information
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Fats
This food group includes:
Margarine, butter, other spreading fats and low fat spreads, cooking oils, oil based salad dressings,
mayonnaise, cream, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, pastries, cakes, puddings, ice cream, rich sauces and
gravies.
These foods are all high in calories and need to be controlled carefully if a person is to lose weight
or fat. Although some fats are better for our health than others, they all contain the same amount
of calories and so it is important to limit sources of all fats. We all need to include some fat in our
diet and it helps to make foods more interesting and enjoyable.
There are three main types of dietary fat- saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and
most foods contain a mixture of these three. Food labels often give the type of fat present in food,
as well as the amount. Saturated fats are the most damaging to your health and are usually found
in animal products such as meat, butter, milk and cheese. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
fats are referred to as 'healthier' types of fat, as they can potentially lower your blood cholesterol
levels and reduce the tendency for blood to clot. These are largely found in oils and fish.
Oily fish such as salmon, sardines and pilchards are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are
unsaturated fats. Current recommendations are that we should aim to eat fish at least twice a week,
including one portion of oily fish. In smaller amounts, this type of 'healthier' fat can also be obtained
from plant foods such as rapeseed, walnuts, soya, flax and linseed oils.