Myth: The less fat you eat, the less fat you’ll have

The truth is that in the vast majority of cases you only put on weight when you eat more calories/kilojoules than you burn. Whether these calories/kilojoules are coming from intake of fat, carbs, or protein is irrelevant.

In addition, eating too little fat could work against you. Eating too little fat may leave you feeling hungry and eating more overall. You must also keep in mind, there are many kinds of fat. Saturated and trans fats are not good for you however appropriate amounts of monosaturated or polyunsaturated fat may help you decrease your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.

Health and Fitness Testing NZ Tips:

Choose foods/brands that have less saturated fat.

Swap bad fat with good fat. Avocados, nuts, vegetable oils and some fish are examples of good fats

Watch your overall portion sizes, no matter what food group they are coming from

Consult a qualified dietician if you would like more specific advice for you

Peter Halstead                                               

MPhty, PGDipSportMed, BSpEx