FAT
M AT T E RS
Health Promotion Board
Supported by: 3 Second Hospital Avenue, Singapore 168937
www.hpb.gov.sg
Copyright ' HPB B E 512-07
August 2007
Designed by The Void Deck Pte Ltd
CONTENTS
02 FAT FACTS
• Fat - What & Where?
• Do We Need Fat?
• Fat - The Different Types
• Why Moderate Fat Intake?
05 KNOW THE TYPES OF FAT
• Saturated Fat
• Trans Fat
• Polyunsaturated Fat
• Monounsaturated Fat
08 HOW MUCH FAT CAN I HAVE?
09 WHAT ABOUT CHOLESTEROL?
10 TAKE ACTION TODAY!
FAT – WHAT & WHERE?
FAT FACTS Fat is one of the main nutrient groups in food that supply energy. Some food,
such as most fruit and vegetables, have almost no fat. Others such as butter,
meat and nuts contain a high amount of fat.
Most of us probably know that we should not eat too
much fat. While this is certainly true, there are other Fat is also often added during cooking and
important facts about fat we should know. in the manufacturing of food products.
Look out for both visible and ‘hidden’
sources of fat. For example, fat can
Some commonly asked questions on fat: be seen as oil floating on curries or
in the skin of poultry. Fat can also be
• Should we avoid fat completely in our diet? ‘hidden’ in food such as pastries,
• How much fat is too much? cakes and snacks.
• Which types of fat are better for me?
Read on for answers to these questions and more.
DO WE NEED FAT?
Yes. Our body needs some fat to function properly. The main roles of fat in our
body are as listed below:
• Fat acts as a carrier for the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and helps in
their absorption by the body.
• Fat is a source of essential fats (such as omega-3 and omega-6) which
cannot be made in the body and must be obtained through food.
• Fat is a good source of energy.
• Fat deposits act as a cushion for important organs in our body.
02 03
FAT – THE DIFFERENT TYPES KNOW THE TYPES
Saturated fat, monounsaturated fat,
polyunsaturated fat and trans fat
OF FAT
are 4 different types of fat found in the Different types of fat can affect your health differently.
food we eat.
SATURATED FAT
Fat and oil in food contain a mixture of
these different types of fat. However, A diet high in saturated fat raises the level of LDL-cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol)
there is usually a higher proportion of a in the body, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
particular type of fat in the mixture. For
example, the major type of fat found in The main sources of saturated fat are:
most nuts is monounsaturated fat, while • animal fat e.g. fatty meat, skin of poultry, lard
the major type found in butter is
• full-fat dairy products e.g. full cream milk, butter, ghee
saturated fat.
• dishes containing coconut milk or coconut cream
• deep-fried food
• food prepared with palm-based vegetable oil.
WHY MODERATE FAT INTAKE?
Regardless of the type, fat give us more
than twice the amount of calories per
gram of fat (9 kcal/g) than either
carbohydrate or protein (both 4 kcal/g).
Having a diet high in fat will give you
excess calories. If you consistently
take in more calories than you burn TRANS FAT
through physical activity, you will gain
weight and may become overweight. Trans fat is formed when vegetable oils undergo hydrogenation, which is a
Being overweight increases your risk commercial process to harden oil for production of fats like shortening and
of diabetes, heart disease, high blood hard margarine. Trans fat raises LDL-cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol) and lowers
pressure, stroke and some forms HDL-cholesterol (‘good’ cholesterol) in the body. As a result, trans fat increases
of cancer. the risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
04 05
POLYUNSATURATED FAT
There are two main families of polyunsaturated fat: omega-3 and omega-6.
Omega-3 fat
Omega-3 fat helps reduce blood clotting in the arteries and protects arteries
from hardening. It also reduces the level of triglycerides in the blood which in
The main sources of trans fat in our diet are: turn lowers the risk of heart disease.
• pastries and cakes Sources of omega-3 fat include:
• deep-fried food • fish e.g. salmon, sardine, longtail shad (terubok) and Spanish mackerel
• cookies and biscuits (tenggiri papan)
• products containing vegetable shortening and hydrogenated or partially • walnuts
hydrogenated oils (as stated on the ingredient list of food labels). • canola oil and soybean oil
• products enriched or fortified with omega-3 e.g. bread and eggs.
Note: Food high in trans fat often contain high amounts of saturated fat.
Omega-6 fat
Low levels of trans fat also occur naturally Omega-6 fat helps improve heart health by reducing total and
in beef, lamb, mutton and dairy products. LDL-cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol) levels in the blood.
There is no evidence to show that
Sources of omega-6 fat include:
consumption of trans fat found naturally
in food will increase the risk of heart • vegetable oils e.g. corn oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil
disease, so there is no reason to avoid • seeds e.g. sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
beef, lamb, mutton or dairy products
because they contain trans fat.
MONOUNSATURATED FAT
A very small amount of trans fat may be
produced during the manufacturing process Monounsaturated fat tends to lower total and LDL-
of cooking oils. However, the amount cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol) levels in the body.
contributed to the overall diet is negligible
when oils are used sparingly in food Food rich in monounsaturated fat include:
preparation and cooking. • vegetable oils e.g. olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil
• most nuts e.g. almonds, cashew nuts and hazelnuts
• avocados.
06 07
HOW MUCH FAT WHAT ABOUT
CAN I HAVE? CHOLESTEROL?
Now you know that consuming too much fat can provide excess calories Cholesterol is NOT a type of fat. Cholesterol has a different
and lead to weight gain. You have also learned that a diet high in chemical structure from fat and performs different
saturated and trans fats increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. functions in the body.
So, how much is too much? The estimated daily allowance for total fat, saturated The liver makes most of the cholesterol our body needs. In our diet, cholesterol
fat and trans fat for the average Singaporean is as shown below: is only found in food or beverages of animal origin and not in plant food. Fruit,
MALE FEMALE vegetables, grains and nuts do not contain any cholesterol.
Total fat 70g 56g
The major sources of cholesterol in the local diet are:
Saturated fat 21g or less 17g or less
• egg-based dishes
Trans fat Less than 2g*
• organ meat
* This amount is only a guide. Consumption of trans fat should be kept to a minimum.
• shellfish.
The remaining total fat allowance should comprise monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats. A diet high in cholesterol tends to increase blood cholesterol levels. However,
the total fat, especially saturated and trans fats, in your food choices has
It is easy to exceed the daily allowance if you are not careful with your food a more significant effect on blood cholesterol levels than cholesterol in
choices. Take a look at the following list: food alone.
SERVING TOTAL SATURATED TRANS
FOOD ITEM SIZE FAT FAT FAT
French fries (90g) 1 regular serving 14g 6g 1.4g
The recommended allowance for cholesterol is less than
Curry puff pastry (68g) 1 piece 15g 8g 0.9g
Fried kway teow (300g) 1 plate 30g 23g 0g
300 mg a day. Have no more than 4 egg yolks a week and
limit consumption of organ meat and shellfish to no more
Assuming a woman has consumed the above food in a day, she would have than twice a week.
exceeded her recommended intakes of total fat, saturated fat and trans fat.
You can find out the total fat content and amount of the different types of fat There is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ cholesterol in food. The terms ‘good’ and ‘bad’
in food by: actually refer to the cholesterol carried in your blood.
• reading the Nutrition Information Panel on food labels (see page 12)
• logging on to the Food Info Search at www.hpb.gov.sg
• referring to the wide variety of resources available at the Health Information
Centre (www.hpb.gov.sg/hic/)
08 09
When eating out
TAKE ACTION • Choose dishes prepared without coconut cream or
coconut milk.
TODAY! •
•
Replace fried noodles with soup noodles occasionally.
Limit deep-fried food to no more than twice a week.
As part of a healthy diet, aim to consume fat in moderate
amounts. Limit intake of saturated fat and trans fat. Substitute • Consume high-fat bakery products (e.g. pastries, cakes
saturated and trans fats in your diet with monounsaturated and cookies) less often. Healthier Hawker logo
and polyunsaturated fats. • Remove visible fat and skin from meat and poultry.
• Ask for less oil and gravy in food.
• Look out for hawker stalls with the Healthier Hawker
Not sure how to go about doing that? Here are
logo printed on labels which grade the stall’s cleanliness
some practical tips for you:
and hygiene. These hawkers use healthier ingredients
At home such as cooking oils with lower saturated fat content,
low fat milk in beverages and evaporated milk to replace
• Use less oil in cooking. Choose oils higher coconut milk in laksa and curries.
in unsaturated fat such as sunflower,
soybean, canola or olive oil. Avoid re-using • Choose to dine in Healthier Restaurants, which have a
cooking oils more than twice. selection of dishes that are lower in fat, salt and sugar.
For a list of healthier restaurants, log on to
• Remove visible fat and skin from meat and www.hpb.gov.sg/healthierdining.
poultry.
• Adopt healthier cooking methods (e.g.
steaming, baking) more often. When grocery shopping
• Replace coconut milk or coconut cream in • Choose products with the Healthier Choice Symbol
cooking with low fat milk. (HCS) as they are lower in total fat and saturated fat
compared to other products in similar categories. These
• Use fat spreads (e.g. peanut butter, products also have no trans fat or negligible amounts
margarine, butter, kaya) sparingly. of it per serving of food.
• Choose low fat dairy products, lean meat, • Read the ingredient list to identify products that contain
fish and skinless poultry. vegetable shortening and hydrogenated or partially
• Consume fish at least twice a week. Replace hydrogenated oils, as they are high in saturated and
meat in dishes with beans and bean trans fat. Choose these products less often.
products (e.g. tofu) on some days.
10 11
• Read the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) on food labels to compare the
amount of fat in food products. Look at the ‘per100g column’ to compare
between different brands of food product in the same category.
PER 60G PER 100G PER 35G PER 100G
SERVING SERVING SERVING SERVING
Energy 103kcal 294kcal 144kcal 240kcal
(633kJ) (1235kJ) (605kJ) (1008kJ)
Protein 3.8g 11.1g 5.6g 9.3g
Fat 1.5g 4.1g 1.4g 2.3g
Saturated Fat 0.7g 2g 0.5g 0.8g
Cholesterol 0mg 0mg 0mg 0mg
Carbohydrate 19.9g 56.7g 27g 45g
Dietary Fibre 2.6g 7.4g 3.4g 5.7g
Sodium 49mg 140mg 86mg 143mg For more information, call
As shown in the example above, it would be difficult to compare the fat content
Health Promotion Board’s HealthLine at 1800 223 1313
of Bread A and Bread B by just looking at the ‘per serving’ column because the to speak to our experienced nurse advisors.
serving sizes differ. However, using the ‘per 100g serving’ column, it is clear
that Bread A contains almost twice the amount of total fat and saturated fat
compared to Bread B.
Note: Products lower in fat or even those with the HCS may not necessarily mean that they
are low in calories. It is important to eat all food in moderation.
Now that you know more about fat, do make a conscious effort
to eat wisely. Choosing and preparing food with less fat, especially
saturated and trans fats is a step towards achieving a healthy
and balanced diet.
It is also important to ensure that your
diet is rich in a variety of fruit, vegetables
and wholegrains (e.g. brown rice,
wholemeal bread). Choose food with
less salt and sugar too as part of a
balanced diet.
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