H&GLIVING
164 / AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
Illustration by Dominic Bahmann.We’re often given conflicting
advice about which types of
fat to incorporate into our
diet. Here,Paula Goodyer
delivers the good oil.
FAT CHANCE
W
hen it comes to healthy
eating, fat is a tricky
area to navigate. The
science of fat is complicated and
made more complex by conf licting
opinions: is butter an artery
clogger or a healthy fat perfect
for sautéing kale? To help clear
things up, Dr Catherine
Itsiopoulos, Associate Professor
of Dietetics and Human Nutrition
at La Trobe University, answers
these questions:
Is it possible for butter be
part of a healthy diet?
Although butter is high in
saturated fat, with the exception
of trans fat, it’s not the type of
fat that causes heart disease, but
the quality of our diet as a whole,
says Dr Itsiopoulos, author of
The Mediterranean Diet
Cookbook. “There’s a difference
between eating a croissant loaded
with butter and the way butter is
eaten as part of a traditional
Mediterranean diet – on crusty
bread with tomato, for example,”
she says.
Can I get enough omega-3
fats without eating fish?
It’s difficult, because the omega-3
fats in plant foods are different to
those in fish. Although our bodies
can convert omega-3 fats fromplants into the same ty pe of omega
3-fats found in fish we can’t
produce enough of it. “Ideally we
need to eat oily fish twice a week
and try to include plant sources of
omega-3 fats each day in the form
or chia or f lax seeds, walnuts and
leafy greens,” says Dr Itsiopoulos.
Which are the healthiest fats
to cook with?
Dr Itsiopoulos rates mono-
unsaturated fats such as olive oil,
peanut and canola, avocado and
macadamia oil as the best choices.
“I would put them ahead of poly-
unsaturated omega-6 oils. It’s not
that polyunsaturated fats are
unhealthy but western diets are too
rich in them,” she says, “and too
low in the omega-3 fats found in
fish and some plant foods.”
Is it safe to heat olive oil?
Yes. Olive oil is a good all-rounder
that can be used for most types of
cooking, says Dr Itsiopoulos. As
with any type of oil, it’s important
to avoid either heating it to the
point where it smokes or reheating
it. These can produce harmful
chemicals. “Refined olive oils can
be used for frying because they
have a higher smoke point, but are
stripped of antioxidants so they
are not as healthy as extra-virgin
olive oils. #THE NUT CASE
If they’re packed with fat and high in
kilojoules, why are nuts touted as a
useful food for weight loss? There are
two reasons, says Dr Itsiopoulos:
They’re a great snack food because
they’re nutrient-rich and filling. And
not all the fat is digested, so we don’t
absorb all the kilojoules. “They are a
good replacement for other snacks
such as biscuits, which are less
satisfying. But portion control is
important. If you eat nuts all day
you’ll put on weight.”‘THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
EATING A CROISSANT LOADED WITH
BUTTER AND THE WAY BUTTER IS
EATEN AS PART OF A TRADITIONAL
MEDITERRANEAN DIET.’
DR CATHERINE ITSIOPOULOSHEALTH