Cutting down on fat

Main navigation

To eat healthily and control your weight, it’s a good idea to cut down on fat. You can do this by choosing lower-fat options when you can. And try to have high-fat foods less often or in smaller amounts.

What's high in fat and what's low?

You will see figures for the fat content on many food labels. Some foods also give figures for saturated fat ('saturates' or ‘sat fat’). Use the following as a guide to work out if a food is high or low in fat. High is more than 20g fat per 100g Low is 3g fat or less per 100g If the amount of fat per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of fat. Remember that the amount you eat of a particular food affects how much fat you will get from it.

• More about nutrition panels
• More on saturated fat

Tips for cutting down on fat

Here are some practical suggestions to help you cut down on fat:

• Grill, bake, poach or steam food, rather than frying or roasting, so you don't need to add any extra fat.
• Trim visible fat and skin off meat before cooking.
• When you're shopping, compare the labels so you can pick those with less fat and saturated fat.
• Choose lower-fat dairy products when you can.
• Put more vegetables or beans in casseroles, stews and curries, and a bit less meat – and skim the fat off the top before serving, if you can.
• Measure oil for cooking with tablespoons, rather than pouring it straight from a container – this will help you use less.
• If you do choose something high in fat to eat, pick something low in fat to go with it – for example you could swap deep-fried chips for a jacket potato.
• When you're making sandwiches, try leaving out the butter or spread – you might not need it if you're using a moist filling. When you do use spread, go for a reduced-fat variety and choose one that is soft straight from the fridge so it's easier to spread thinly.

Healthy diet

• 8 tips for eating well
• The eatwell plate
• Nutrition essentials
• Fats, sugars, salt
• Healthy weight
• Food for sport
• Food myths debunked
• Eating out healthily
• Vegetarian and vegan
• Seasons and celebrations

Search

Settings

Main navigation

© Crown copyright