Fats: why you need them

Your body needs fats. Fats give you energy and help you to absorb some vitamins and make hormones.

It’s important to eat the right types and amounts of fats to stay healthy and well.

Healthy fats

Healthy fat is sometimes called unsaturated fat.

Unsaturated fats can be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated.

Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids.

Why unsaturated fats are healthy fats

Both monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are healthy because they:

• keep your arteries clear
• help you make good cholesterol and move it around your body
• reduce bad cholesterol when they replace unhealthy fats in your diet.

This can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke later in life.

Polyunsaturated fats also have extra health benefits. For example, omega-3 fatty acids:

• can help brain and eye development in unborn babies and during the first 6 months of life
• are good for general heart, eye and joint health
• support good mental health
• can boost brain and nervous system development and strengthen the immune system
• can be good for rheumatoid arthritis, pain relief, morning stiffness and inflammation in adults.

Polyunsaturated fats can reduce cholesterol better than monounsaturated fats.

Which foods have healthy fats

You can get monounsaturated fat from:

• oils like olive, canola, rice bran and grape seed oil
• almonds, cashews, peanuts and seeds
• lean meat
• avocado.

Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the main kinds of polyunsaturated fats. You can get them from:

• oily fish like tuna, salmon and mackerel
• walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds
• soy foods.

Omega-6 fatty acids are another kind of polyunsaturated fat. You can get them from vegetable oils like sunflower, peanut, canola and soy oils.

Unhealthy fats

Unhealthy fat comes in the form of:

• saturated fat
• trans fat.

Why saturated fats and trans fats are unhealthy fats

Saturated fats and trans fats are unhealthy because they make your body produce more bad cholesterol. Bad cholesterol can lead to health problems, particularly heart disease.

These fats can also reduce good cholesterol.

Which foods have saturated fats and trans fats

Saturated fats are in:

• animal products like the visible fat on meats
• palm and coconut oil used in home cooking, commercial frying, or the production of commercial foods like biscuits, pastries, chips and slices
• full-fat dairy products like butter and cream.

Trans fats are in:

• commercially made cakes and biscuits
• takeaway food
• ready-made or frozen meals
• snack foods like chips
• energy bars.

How much healthy fat to include in your family diet

The amount of unsaturated fat to include per day in cooking, baking, spreads or dressings depends on children’s ages. For children aged:

• 1-2 years – 1 serve
• 2-3 years – ½ serve
• 4-8 years – 1 serve
• 9-11 years – 1 serve
• 12-13 years – 1½ serves
• 14-18 years – 2 serves.

The daily recommendation for men under 70 years is 4 serves. For women and older men, the daily recommendation is 2 serves.

As a guide, one serve of unsaturated fat equals:

• 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 g) of olive, canola and rice bran oil, or margarine
• 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 g) of nut pastes and spreads
• 1 tablespoon (20 g) of avocado.

How to reduce or replace unhealthy fats in your family diet: tips

When you’re shopping

• Buy lean cuts of meat and reduced-fat mince instead of fatty cuts like bacon and sausages. Ask your butcher about the leanest cuts.
• Choose low-fat dairy products, except for children under 2 years. At this age, children need full-fat dairy products because they’re growing so quickly.
• Check food labels. Look for foods with less than 3 g per 100 g of saturated fat, and less than 10 g per 100 g of total fat. For cheeses, it should be less than 15 g per 100 g, and less than 2 g per 100 g for other dairy foods.

When you’re cooking or preparing food

• Use margarine made from olive, canola and sunflower oils in sandwiches and cooking instead of butter. You can also use nut butters, nut pastes or avocado as spreads.
• Use low-fat yoghurt instead of cream.
• Try roasting, air frying, steaming, baking, stewing or poaching your food instead of frying foods in oil, butter or animal fat.
• Use the amount of oil needed for the recipe by measuring it out.
• Reduce oil by using oil spray instead of liquid oil. Use non-stick pots and pans, use baking paper to line pans, or add water to the bottom of baking dishes.
• Before cooking, trim fat off meats and remove skin from chicken.
• After cooking, soak up extra oils with paper towel, or wait for fats to harden and then skim them off.

When you’re planning family meals and snacks

• Choose tomato or vegetable-based sauces, curries and stews instead of creamy or buttery dishes.
• Choose chopped fruit or vegetable sticks for snacks instead of cakes, biscuits, chocolates and lollies.
• Choose healthy meal and snack options when eating out, like sushi instead of hot chips.

Your family can get healthy fats and other nutrients by eating a wide variety of foods from the 5 food groups. To find out what your family needs to eat, check out our dietary guidelines 1-2 years, dietary guidelines 2-3 years, dietary guidelines 4-8 years, dietary guidelines 9-11 years, dietary guidelines 12-13 years, and dietary guidelines 14-18 years.