Oils and Fat for Healthy Eating

Oil and fat are important to a healthy diet. Oil and fat supply calories and essential fats; they help our bodies absorb fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K.

The type of fat we consume:  however, is as important as the amount . Polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats are good  for our diet, they are  excellent sources of Omega- 3 and Omega-6.  A certain amount of these fat  in our diet is good for proper nutrition.

Saturated and trans fat contribute to an unhealthy diet and increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. We want to LIMIT saturated fat and AVOID trans fat.

Too much fat in the diet can contribute to obesity, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and hypertension. To ensure you get the right type and amount of fat in your diet, include 45-60 ml of unsaturated fat each day in your diet. This can be fat or oils used for salad dressing, oil used for cooking, soft margarine at the table or mayonnaise.




These are recommended sources of fat:

• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Coconut oil
• Soya Oil
• Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils
• Fish oils
• Soft margarine
• Salad dressing

 When purchasing oils, prepared food or package food products, it is wise to check nutritional labels to avoid an unhealthy fat intake. Food products with trans fat should be avoided,  choose those with the least saturated fat.

Preparing your own food will allow you to measure the fat and oil you use and will prevent you from consuming too much and the wrong type.