Saturated fat

There are two main types of fat found in food – saturated and unsaturated. Eating a diet that is high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood, over time.

This increases your chance of developing heart disease. So it’s a good idea to reduce your intake of saturated fat. You can do this by:

eating less of foods that are high in saturated fat

choosing options that are lower in saturated fat

going for unsaturated fats instead of saturated

Children should have less saturated fat than adults. But remember that a low-fat diet isn’t suitable for children under five.

Of course most people don’t have time to tot up the amount of saturated fat they are eating every day. But it’s a good idea to take a look at how much saturated fat is in different foods. Then you’ll see that eating certain foods, especially in large quantities, can make it easy to eat more than the recommended maximum amount of saturated fat.

If you know which foods are high in saturated fat – and which are lower – then you can make choices each day to help reduce your intake of saturated fat.

Check the label for saturated fat

Look out for the figure for ‘saturates’ or ‘sat fat’ on the label because this tells you how much saturated fat is in the food.

High is more than 5g sat fat per 100g
Low is 1.5g sat fat per 100g

If the amount of sat fat per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level.

Some foods have ‘traffic light’ labels on the front of the pack. These show you if a food is high, medium or low in fat, sat fat, sugars and salt.

Red = High
Amber = Medium
Green = Low

Try to choose foods that are low in sat fat as often as you can, or go for medium. If foods are high in sat fat, try not to have them too often, or eat them in smaller amounts.

When you’re shopping, compare similar foods – there can be a big difference in how much sat fat they contain. And choose the option that is lower in sat fat.

Ten tips to help reduce your saturated fat intake

Choose lower-fat dairy products. Try 1% fat milk and low-fat yoghurts. Look out for cheese that is lower in fat.

Grate cheese instead of slicing – this can help you eat less of it. And when you’re shopping, compare the labels on different cheeses to see which contain less fat.

Eat chicken without the skin. And when you’re cooking chicken, go easy with the creamy sauces – try a bit of lemon and some herbs instead.

Use leaner mince. Check the labels on minced beef and choose the option that is lower in fat. Or try using turkey mince, which is even leaner.

Trim the fat off meat. And try grilling meat instead of frying.

Compare labels and choose the option that is lower in saturated fat.

Eat less pastry. Pastry is high in saturated fat, so try not to have pies, pastries and sausage rolls too often. And go for pies with just a lid or a base.

When you’re cooking, use unsaturated oils such as sunflower, olive and rapeseed, instead of butter, lard and ghee.

Eat healthier snacks when you’re on the go. Many snacks can be high in saturated fat, so pick up an apple, some dried fruit, or another healthy option. Check the label and choose food that is lower in saturates.

Eat more balanced meals. To get the balance right, eat lots of fruit and vegetables and plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods. These are low in saturated fat, so they help make your meals healthier.

Check out our eatwell fridge, packed with recipes

Find out about a balanced diet

Swaps to help cut down on saturated fat

Simply swapping one food for a healthier option can reduce your saturated fat intake.

Instead of…	Try…
Streaky bacon	Back bacon
Croissant with butter	Toasted bagel with low-fat soft cheese
Sausages	A lean cut of meat or chicken
Mashed potato with butter and whole milk	Mashed potato with lower-fat spread and semi-skimmed milk
Cake or biscuits	Currant bun or malt loaf with lower-fat spread
Creamy or cheesy sauce	Tomato or vegetable sauce
Butter on bread	Lower-fat spread on bread
Cream	Reduced-fat Greek yoghurt
Ice cream	Frozen yoghurt
Semi-skimmed milk	1% fat milk
Full-fat yoghurt or creamy dessert	Low-fat yoghurt or low-fat mousse