When I was growing up I remember we always had one solitary bottle of “cooking oil” lurking in the pantry.

It was an amber-coloured bottle containing nondescript polyunsaturated vegetable oil.

How times have changed. Today, when I look at my own myriad collection of cooking oils I understand why so many of my clients are totally confused when it comes to making healthy fat choices.

In this era of fat phobia not everyone even understands that dietary fat is essential for our health.

I have seen many women over the years labouring under the misconception that the more dietary fat they eliminate, the healthier and slimmer they will be. Instead many just suffer from fatigue, skin problems, immune suppression and hormonal imbalance.

Fats give us energy. They are an important part of the fatty membrane surrounding every cell in our body, and as such they help to govern what gets into and out of our cells.

Fats, in particular cholesterol, are the starting point for our body to make numerous hormones including oestrogen and testosterone. We also needs fats to absorb and utilise essential fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin E, D, A and K.

Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight by cutting out fat has experienced first hand that it is a major appetite satiator. In other words, it fills us up!

I personally think that much of the obesity epidemic we see today is the result of the widespread use of low fat foods. These foods are low in fat, but often high in added carbohydrates and sugars. So while low in fat, they are still high in calories, and simply don't quell our appetite.

Now that I've convinced you that fats are a vital inclusion in our diet, it's time to look at making healthy fat choices.

Fats are broadly divided into saturated and unsaturated fats. The unsaturated fats are then further divided into polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

In truth though, all fats contain varying ratios of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and all the unsaturated fats are liquid.

Saturated fats are found predominantly in animal-based fats such as meat and dairy products; as well as palm and coconut oil. Until recently, saturates were considered the “bad” fats, responsible for heart disease.

It's still a good idea to limit these fats as much as possible by moderating meat intake and using only low fat dairy products. However, we now have an even meaner fat on the scene.

Trans fats are a man made phenomenon. They occur when unsaturated vegetable oils are processed with hydrogen, to make them into a solid or partially solid fat.

In our diet, trans fats are found in processed foods including some margarines, commercially-baked products, some breakfast cereals, snack foods and fast food french fries.

Avoid trans fats at all costs! Read the labels on processed foods and check out the trans fat content, which should ideally be nil or under one.

Trans fats stoke inflammation in your body. They also raise the “bad” LDL fats while simultaneously lowering protective HDL fats.

Studies show that for every extra 2 per cent of calories from trans fats you have daily (the equivalent of a medium order of french fries), your risk of cardiovascular disease is raised by approximately 20 per cent.

Lynda Wharton is a health and wellbeing writer, columnist and author. She also practises as an acupuncturist and naturopath.

lynda@lyndawharton.com

www.lyndawharton.com