6 surprisingly healthy fatty foods 

If you’re trying to eat a healthier diet or manage your weight, you may be wondering if you should cut out foods that are high in fat.

It’s true that fat is high in calories, which means that eating too much can lead to weight gain and obesity.

And a diet high in unhealthy saturated fat can raise the level of ‘bad’ cholesterol in your blood, which can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

But not all fats are bad for your health. A small amount of healthy unsaturated fats is an important part of a balanced diet. They’re also a source of essential omega-3 fatty acids, which your body cannot make on its own.

Swapping foods high in saturated fat like butter for foods containing mostly unsaturated fat like olive or rapeseed oil can reduce your risk of heart and circulatory diseases.

Here are 6 healthy fatty foods and how to add more of them to your diet.

1. Vegetable oils

Oils and spreads made from plant products like olives, sunflower seeds and rapeseed contain much more unsaturated fat and far less saturated fat than butter, lard, ghee and coconut oil. 

Using oils like sunflower oil instead of ghee in a curry or spreading your toast with olive or sunflower-oil based spreads instead of butter can help you cut down your saturated fat intake.

However, while these oils contain less saturated fats, they are still high in calories, so stick to around 1 tablespoon when cooking for 4 people.

• Give our reduced-fat bread and butter pudding a go.

2. Oily fish

Oily fish – such as salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, pilchards and herring – are a great source of protein and vitamins and minerals.

They also contain 2 types of omega-3 fatty acids.

The UK government’s Eatwell guide recommends eating at least 2 portions of fish a week, including 1 portion of oily fish. Each portion is 140g.

Steamed, baked, grilled or canned fish all count. Try to avoid fish canned in brine or fried fish, as this can come with added salt and saturated fat.

And fresh or canned tuna no longer counts as oily fish, as it has a low level of omega-3s.

• Try our salmon traybake recipe for a tasty one-pot dinner.

3. Avocados

Avocados are another healthy food high in unsaturated fats, and half a medium avocado counts as 1 of your 5-a-day too.

Why not try half a medium avocado (around 80g) mashed on toast instead of cheese or butter?

• Read our recipe for fish tacos with avocado.

4. Nuts

Nuts are high in fat, but this is mostly monounsaturated fats.

Different nuts contain different levels of saturated fats. Brazil nuts contain more saturated fats, while hazelnuts and almonds have lower levels.

Walnuts also contain a plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Nuts are high in protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Choose a variety of your favourite plain, unsalted nuts instead of roasted or salted nuts, which can come with added sugar and salt.

If you like nut butters, such as peanut butter or almond butter, opt for brands without palm or coconut oil – which are high in saturated fat – or added salt or sugar.

Nuts are high in calories, so keep an eye on your portion size. One serving is a small handful of nuts or 2 heaped teaspoons of nut butter (around 30g).

• Get the recipe for trout fillets with an almond crust.

5. Seeds

Seeds and seed oils like flaxseed, chia seeds and rapeseed are also high in fat, which is mostly polyunsaturated. They’re also high in the plant source of omega-3 fatty acids.

These – as well as other seeds like pumpkin, sunflower and sesame – also have plenty of fibre, vitamins and minerals.

It’s easy to add more seeds to your diet. As well as cooking with seed oils, you can try sprinkling 1 tablespoon of seeds over porridge, yogurts, stir fries or soups for an extra crunch.

• Get the recipe for a lemon chicken stir fry with added sesame seeds.

6. Eggs

It was previously thought that eggs could increase your cholesterol levels as their yolks contain dietary cholesterol.

We now know that cholesterol found in food does not have a large impact on cholesterol levels in the blood for most people. So there’s no recommended limit on how many eggs most people should eat, as long as it’s part of a healthy, balanced diet.

However, if you have FH (familial hypercholesterolaemia), which is an inherited condition that causes high cholesterol levels, you may need to limit your eggs to no more than 3 to 4 a week.

Egg yolks contain some fat (around 5g per egg), but only a quarter of this is saturated fat, and they also contain vitamins and minerals.

And egg whites are a good source of protein, with around 7g in the average egg.

Avoid frying or scrambling eggs in butter, which is high in saturated fat. For a healthier option, poach or boil them.

• Try our Shakshuka recipe for a quick and easy egg dish.

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