What foods add unhealthy fat?

Saturated fats are often referred to as “unhealthy” fats, and eating too much has been shown to increase “bad” (LDL) cholesterol in your blood. This can increase the risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.

But which foods are contributing the most to our national diet? How often we eat the foods makes a difference, as well as how much saturated fat they contain.

The government's regular National Diet and Nutrition Survey tells us what we’re eating as a nation. The most recent survey showed that we are still eating more saturated fat than is recommended, and also shows which foods the saturated fat in our diets is coming from. Although everyone's diet is different, it's still a useful guide to which foods to look out for first if we’re trying to reduce saturated fat.

Information from the National Diet and Nutrition survey shows what percentage of our saturated fat intake comes from different food, as shown. Just nine foods are responsible for the majority of the saturated fat we eat.

1. Red and processed meats (15%)

Red and processed meats (including beef, lamb, pork, bacon and ham, and dishes made from them) are one of the biggest sources of saturated fat in the average UK diet. These meats are usually higher in saturated fat than skinless chicken or turkey, and if they’re in a pie, pasty or quiche, the pastry will add even more saturated fat. You can reduce the saturated fat in your diet by choosing leaner cuts of meat, lean or extra lean minced meat, and swapping from red meat to chicken, fish or plant protein (like beans, lentils or tofu) instead.

2. Cakes, biscuits, buns and pastries (10%)

Sweet treats like cakes, biscuits and pastries are contributing a large amount of saturated fat to our diets – and of course, most of these foods are high in sugar too. You don’t need to cut them out completely, but eating them less often, reducing your portion size, or switching from cakes and biscuits to lower-saturated-fat options like teacakes or crumpets, are easy changes to make that can be a better choice for your heart health.

3. Cheese (9%)

Cheese (especially Cheddar, because it’s the cheese we eat most of) is one of the biggest single sources of saturated fat in our diets. On the positive side, it’s a nutritious food providing protein, calcium and other nutrients. So you don’t need to cut it out, but keep an eye on portion sizes (a portion should be about the size of a small matchbox). Grating it instead of slicing, and choosing stronger-flavoured cheeses, can help to limit portion size. Reduced-fat cheese, or naturally lower-fat cheeses like ricotta and cottage cheese, can also be good choices.

4. Pizza, pasta and rice dishes (6%)

You might not think of these as fatty dishes, but pizza, pasta and rice dishes often contain cheese or creamy sauces, sometimes fatty meat, and/or butter or ghee. Make your own healthier versions, using reduced-fat cheese and lots of vegetables.

5. Butter (6%)

Using unsaturated spreads or oils (like sunflower, olive, or rapeseed) instead of butter is a simple way of cutting down on saturated fat.

6. Milk 6%

Although milk isn’t as high in fat as butter, cream or cheese, because we use it a lot, even semi-skimmed milk makes a noticeable contribution to the saturated fat in our diet. You can reduce this by switching to one per cent or skimmed milk.

7. Chicken and turkey and dishes 6%

Although skinless chicken and turkey are generally lower in saturated fat than red meats, because we eat them a lot, the saturated fat adds up. Make sure you remove the skin, and avoid coatings like breadcrumbed or fried chicken.

8. Chocolate (5%)

Whether milk, dark or white, all chocolate is high in saturated fat. It’s fine to enjoy a small portion of chocolate as a treat, but keep an eye on portion sizes.

9. Egg dishes 5%

Eggs do contain saturated fat, but it's more important to focus on how they're cooked. Egg dishes with butter, cheese or cream will contribute much more saturated fat than a plan boiled or poached egg.

How to compare products using food labels

Reading labels can help keep track of how much saturated fat you are eating. As portion sizes may differ between products, a good way of comparing saturated fat is to compare the amount in 100g of the product. Traffic light colours can help you to tell if a food is high (red), medium (amber), or low (green) in saturated fat.

A product is high in saturated fat if there is more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g of food (or 6g or more per portion), medium - if there is between 1.5g to 5g of saturated fat per 100g of food and low - if there is 1.5g of saturated fat or less per 100g of food.

For more information on reading food labels refer to:

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