Lowering fat in diets

Cutting back on fat doesn’t need to be difficult. Here are a few ideas for how you can start to reduce fat in your diet.

Opt for white meat and fish rather than red meat, pies and sausages.
Always check food labels and compare fat content. Choose foods with a low saturated fat content.
Try adding extra vegetables, beans or lentils to dishes that normally have a high meat content e.g. chilli con carne, pies, casseroles and stews.
Or, make vegetarian versions of some of your favourite recipes.
Choose lean cuts of meat and remove any visible fat.
Grill, bake, poach, steam or stir fry rather than fry or roast.
Measure out and stick to the correct amount of oil for cooking and making salad dressings.
Use low fat versions of dairy foods. E.g. skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, low fat yoghurt.
Try some alternatives to dairy foods such as quark and soya milk.
Swap cream or soured cream for low fat yoghurt or fromage frais.
To satisfy a chocolate craving have a couple of pieces of high quality 70% cocoa dark chocolate.
Don’t use butter or spread in sandwiches. Instead go for low fat sandwich fillings that are moist enough not to need additional fat.

Introduce more unsaturated fats to your diet by:

Using olive, sunflower or rapeseed oils in cooking.
Taking unsalted nuts to work to have as a mid morning snack rather than crisps or chocolate.
Sprinkling salads with unsalted nuts and seeds.
Having oily fish once or twice a week
Swapping butter for a spread that is high in unsaturated fats.