Good Fats, Bad Fats — and How to Tell the Difference

Thought For The Week

Fats have received decades of bad press. For years, they were deemed the culprit of weight gain and heart disease. But the truth is, fats are essential — they’re a major energy source, they help absorb vitamins like A, D, E and K, they play a vital role in brain function, and they’re critical to hormone production. They also add flavour to food and are highly satiating, meaning they help keep you feeling full for longer. The issue isn’t fats themselves, but the type and the quantity we consume. Fats fall into three broad categories: unsaturated, saturated and trans fats. Unsaturated fats include plant-based oils, nuts, seeds, and oily fish — these are the good guys. Saturated fats are mostly found in animal and dairy products — these are fine in moderation. Trans fats are found in highly processed snacks and baked goods — these are best avoided. When it comes to quantity, it’s worth bearing in mind that gram for gram, fat contains more energy (or calories) than carbohydrate and protein (9kcal/g, compared to approximately 4kcal/g). UK health guidelines recommend that fats make up no more than 20–35% of total daily energy intake, which equates to approximately 4-6 thumb-sized portions.

Exercise Tip

Dietary fats play an underrated role in exercise performance, especially in endurance and recovery. They’re a slow-burning fuel source, helping spare muscle glycogen during lower-intensity work. If you do a lot of longer, steady training (cycling, hiking, rowing), a diet with healthy fats can support sustained energy. Post-training, including them in balanced meals can help with satiety and reduce inflammation. So, while you don’t need to “load” fats before a workout, make sure they’re still part of your daily nutrition plan.

Try this: Include oily fish in your diet 2–3 times a week to support recovery and reduce inflammation and add a little unsaturated fat to post-training meals (such as avocado in a wrap, a drizzle of olive oil on a salad) to help you absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Nutrition Tip

Oils have a specific smoke point — the temperature at which they start to break down and produce visible smoke. Heating oils beyond their smoke point not only degrades their flavour and nutritional value but also increases the rate at which you are essentially turning your good, unsaturated fat, into a bad, trans fat. When cooking with oils, be mindful of their smoke point. For high-heat cooking like stir-frying or roasting, choose oils with a higher smoke point such as avocado oil, refined olive oil, or sunflower oil. Save extra virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil for drizzling over salads or cooked vegetables, where their delicate flavours and nutrients can shine. (Check out the Links & Resources section below for a list of different oils and their smoke points).

Try this: Check food labels for “partially hydrogenated oils” — that’s code for trans fats — and put those items back on the shelf.

Links & Resources

Recipe: Get your daily dose of healthy fats with my recipe for smoked mackerel and tenderstem risotto.

Book: This award-winning cookbook explores the history, culinary uses, and surprising health insights related to animal fats—a beautifully designed and engaging read.

Resource: The smoke point of different oils.

Inspirational Quote

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

Hippocrates