A healthy diet needs to be low in hydrogenated fats, in addition to artificial colours and flavours, so as to reduce the health risks associated with this culinary by-product. The hydrogenation process is what turns liquids into a solid fat, and the final product is what is found in biscuits, cakes, pastries and processed foods. It is during the hydrogenation process that trans fats can often be formed, and these can be very harmful to the body. These fats raise the cholesterol levels as well as increasing the risk of heart disease.
As we all know, a healthy diet is low in fats, but especially so when it comes to hydrogenated fats. The foods this is found in are well known diet criminals, such as meat products, hard cheese, butter, sausages and biscuits – products containing coconut or palm oil are also well known for being high in saturated fats too. Try to increase the amount of healthy, unsaturated fats in your diet wherever possible, such as those found in oily fish, avocados, nuts and olive oil. Various studies have proven that reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet can greatly reduce your risk of coronary heart disease.
The UK diet is, on average, is rich in fats which is leading to obesity and health problems. On average, we get around 35 percent of our energy from total fats and 13 percent from saturated fat – while this is an improvement on previous years, it still has some way to go. You can help your diet along but cutting back on processed foods such as cakes and sweet treats, choosing low fat dairy produce and try to limit the amount of fats in your cooking by grilling, roasting and steaming where possible. In addition to this, up your intake of fruit and vegetables to improve your health and wellbeing.
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