Dietary fat and healthy eating
How does fat feature in a healthy eating pattern? What’s the latest evidence?
The Heart Foundation commissioned an evidence review, led by Professor Peter Clifton, into the evidence for dietary fat and heart health. This, along with a review into dietary patterns informed the Heart Foundation’s position on dietary fat and healthy eating.
This webinar will equip you with an understanding of the contemporary evidence for dietary fat, and how to put these recommendations in practice.
The take home message? There is more to a healthy diet than just the type of fat you choose. There’s strong and consistent evidence behind better fat choices: unsaturated fat should be chosen over saturated fat, and trans fat should be as low as possible. But no one eats pure fat, they eat food.
Rather than focus on individual nutrients, we encourage everyone to follow the healthy eating principles which is naturally low in saturated and trans fats, salt and added sugar and rich in wholegrains, fibre, antioxidants and unsaturated fats (omega-3 and omega-6). Eating this way will improve the heart health of all Australians by reducing CVD risk factors such as high blood pressure and raised blood lipids and decreasing the risk of developing and dying from heart disease.
How the Heart Foundation’s Heart Healthy Eating Principles encourage a good balance of dietary fat intake:
|
Heart Healthy Eating Principle |
Choices which help achieve dietary fat recommendations |
|
A variety of healthy protein sources especially fish and seafood, legumes (such as beans and lentils), nuts and seeds. Smaller amounts of eggs and lean poultry can also be included in a heart healthy diet. If choosing red meat, make sure the meat is lean and limit to 1-3 times a week. |
|
|
Healthy oils including olives, avocados, nuts, seeds and their oils |
|
Resources
- “Where does fat fit in healthy eating?” Presentation Slides (PDF)
- Heart Foundation position statement on dietary fat (PDF)
- Heart Foundation Healthy Eating Principles (PDF)
- Read more Heart Foundation position statements including dietary patterns, plant sterols and omega-3.
- Watch the Dietary Patterns webinar.
- Evidence review: Clifton P and Keogh J. Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: an evidence check rapid review brokered by the Sax Institute for the National Heart Foundation of Australia. 2017. (PDF)