Rethinking Fat: The Good, the Bad and Everything In Between.

Author: Edel Radido, Nutritionist

For years, fat was the villain of the nutrition world.

“Fat makes you fat.” “Avoid eggs because of cholesterol.” “Vegetable oils cause inflammation.” “Animal fats are healthier because they are natural.”

So, what is actually true?

As nutrition research has evolved, the answer has become less about simply eating or avoiding fat and more about which fats we eat, how often we eat them, and what they are replacing in our diet.

Not all fats are created equal

Our bodies need fat. It provides energy, helps us absorb vitamins A, D, E and K, supports our cells and supplies essential fatty acids.

The easiest way to think about dietary fats is:

Unsaturated fats (“good fats”)

These are the fats we generally want to eat more often.

They are found in:

• Avocado

• Nuts and seeds

• Oily Fish, like Salmon, Lake Victoria sardines (Omena), Trout and Mackerel

• Olive oil

• Avocado oil

• Canola oil

• Sunflower oil

• Other plant oils

Unsaturated fats can help improve the overall fat profile of the diet, particularly when they replace saturated fats.

Saturated fats (limit, but don't fear fats)

Saturated fats are found in:

• Butter

• Ghee

• Cream

• Cheese

• Fatty cuts of meat

• Tallow

• Lard

• Coconut oil

• Palm oil

These foods aren't automatically “bad”. However, eating a lot of saturated fat can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, which is associated with cardiovascular disease.

What's recommended is to keep your intake of "bad fats" to below 10 % of your total energy and replace some of it with good fats. It isn't that you should never eat butter , but more of not making butter, ghee, tallow or coconut oil the main fats in your diet.

Natural doesn't automatically mean healthier

This is particularly important when we talk about tallow, lard and ghee.

There is a growing idea that animal fats are healthier because they are natural, traditional and minimally processed.

But here's the catch, natural tells us where something came from. It doesn't tell us what it does in the body.

Tallow and lard aren't simply “good” or “bad” fats, they contain a mix of both, but are relatively high in saturated fat, which is best enjoyed in moderation.

So yes, you can cook with tallow or lard. No, they aren't toxic, but they shouldn't automatically be considered healthier than an unsaturated oil simply because they came from an animal rather than a factory.

The better question is: What type of fat does this food contain, and what am I using it instead of?

What about vegetable oils? Do they cause inflammation?

You may have heard that oils such as sunflower, soybean and canola oil cause inflammation because they are “seed oils.”

The current research does not support the idea that eating these oils as part of a normal diet automatically causes inflammation.

So where does the concern come from?

The real issue is how oil is used and heated.

Like any fat, oil can start to break down when it is exposed to very high temperatures for a long time. This becomes a bigger concern when the same oil is heated and reused over and over again, such as in some deep-frying settings.

There is a big difference between:

Fresh oil used to cook your vegetables at home and The same oil being heated and reheated throughout the day in a deep fryer.

So, should you be afraid of sunflower, canola, avocado or olive oil? Not necessarily.

These oils contain mostly unsaturated fats and can all be part of a healthy diet. Olive, avocado and macadamia oils are particularly high in the type of fat we generally want to eat more of.

The practical advice is simple:

• Choose good-quality oils.

• Store them away from heat and direct sunlight.

• Keep the bottle closed when you're not using it.

• Avoid repeatedly reusing oil for frying.

• Don't assume that “seed oil” automatically means unhealthy.

The problem isn't simply that an oil came from a seed. It's what type of fat it contains and how we use it.

So rather than fearing the oil bottle, let's use it wisely.

So which cooking oils are actually good choices?

There isn't one magical “healthiest oil”.

Different oils have different fatty-acid profiles, but several commonly available oils can fit comfortably into a healthy diet.

• Olive oil

Rich in monounsaturated fat and a particularly useful choice for dressings, cooking and finishing foods. Extra-virgin olive oil also contains naturally occurring plant compounds.

• Avocado oil

Largely rich in monounsaturated and a useful cooking option.

• Macadamia oil

Very high in monounsaturated fat and another reasonable option, although it can be considerably more expensive.

• Canola oil

A practical, affordable source of predominantly unsaturated fat and a good everyday cooking option.

• Sunflower oil

Higher in polyunsaturated fat. It can absolutely form part of a healthy diet; the important point is to avoid repeatedly overheating or reusing it.

Choose a fresh, good-quality unsaturated oil, use it sensibly, and avoid repeatedly heating and reusing it.

Let's talk about eggs!

Eggs have probably had one of the most confusing reputations in nutrition.

For years we were told:

“Don't eat too many eggs. They'll raise your cholesterol.”

The confusion comes from mixing up cholesterol in food with cholesterol in the blood.

Eggs contain dietary cholesterol.

Your blood contains cholesterol.

But eating cholesterol does not simply translate into an equal increase in blood cholesterol.

Our bodies also make cholesterol themselves, and for most people, the overall dietary pattern particularly the amount of saturated fat, has an important influence on blood cholesterol.

So does this mean eggs have no effect?

Not quite.

Some people respond more strongly to dietary cholesterol than others, and studies have produced mixed findings depending on the population, amount of eggs consumed and overall diet.

For most healthy people, moderate egg consumption of one whole egg per day can be part of a healthy diet.

And here's where things get interesting.

Compare:

Breakfast A: Eggs + avocado + vegetables + whole-grain bread

Breakfast B: Eggs + bacon + sausages + buttered white bread + fried potatoes

It would be misleading to blame the egg for everything happening in Breakfast B. Other sources are bacon, butter, fried potatoes, sausage.

What we eat with our eggs matters too.

For people with high cholesterol, heart diseases, diabetes or other individual risk factors, dietary advice may need to be more personalised.

What we should actually eat.

You don't need to remove every food that contains saturated fat.

And you don't need to pour olive oil over everything simply because it is labelled “healthy”.

Instead, think about eating a balanced meat and substituing with healthier alternatives.

Eat more often:

• Avocado

• Nuts and seeds

• Oily fish

• Beans, Lentils and other pulses

• Olive oil

• Avocado Oil

• Macadamia Oil

• Canola oil

• Whole grains

• Vegetable and fruit

Enjoy in moderation:

• Butter

• Coconut oil

• Ghee

• Tallow

• Lard

• Full-fat Cheese

• Fatty cuts of meat

Minimise:

• Repeatedly heated/reused frying oil

• Frequently processed meats

• Highly processed foods containing industrial trans fats

The simplest rule of all: swap, don't just add

What replaces a food matters. Replacing butter with an unsaturated oil is different from replacing butter with a refined, sugary food.

Replacing fatty processed meat with beans or fish is different from simply replacing it with another highly processed food.

So rather than asking:

“Is this food good or bad?”

Ask: What am I eating, how much am I eating, how often am I eating it, and what can I use instead?

Bottom line..

Fat isn't the enemy.

Unsaturated fats such as those found in avocado, nuts, seeds, fish, olive oil, avocado oil, canola and other vegetable oils are generally the fats we should favour.

Saturated fats, including those from butter, ghee, tallow, lard, coconut oil and fatty meats, don't need to disappear from our kitchens, but they are best enjoyed in moderation.

Vegetable oils are not automatically inflammatory, and the current research does not support the idea that ordinary consumption of seed oils causes chronic inflammation. The bigger concern with oils is repeated high-heat frying oil.

Eggs are not the cholesterol villain they were once made out to be. For most healthy people, they can comfortably be part of a balanced diet.

The healthiest choice isn't about whether an oil sounds natural or trendy. It's about choosing the right fat, using it well, and keeping your overall diet balanced.

References:

World Health Organization. Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO Guideline. 2023.

World Health Organization. Healthy diet. Current guidance on dietary fats and trans fats.

Hooper L, et al. Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020.