One of the UK’s top nutritionists Federica Amati has warned shoppers that not all fats are bad for them and said some could reduce their risk of heart disease.
While it is accepted that some fats are bad for health, Federica has said it is important to remember that a few, not all, could be beneficial.
Federica explained to The Times Magazine that, traditionally, people trying to be healthy limit their fat intake – but this might not be beneficial.
She explained: “Saturated or trans fats are linked to poorer health outcomes like heart disease. But other types, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, are associated with good health outcomes.”
Federica explained that it was for this reason that the likes of olive oil, nuts, and avocados were recommended because while they are high in fat, they provide a net health positive.
Other examples of positive fats included those fatty-acids in omega-3s, which best found in nuts, seeds, sea vegetables, and fatty fish such as salmon.
Federica Amati and Paul Sculfor
Whilst there are some foods which people avoid that Federica would recommend, in the past she has been open about which consumables people should definitely avoid.
Speaking to the Times, Federica said there were two items she prohibited her children from consuming, Cola and flavoured yoghurts. She explained: “I don’t see any benefit to drinking a Cola at any point in life. That’s something that I’m very black and white about. I don’t see any reason for even trying them. Fizzy drinks are the worst ultra-processed food [UPF] that exist.
“Children’s yoghurts have some of the highest sugar content in the food industry. I’ve got two daughters and it’s really important that they have a good relationship with food.”
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Federica, who works as chief nutritionist at health science company Zoe, isn’t the first expert to warn about the dangers of UPFs on the body and long term health.
Recent research published in the British Medical Journal has suggested that UPFs could be linked to a wide variety of conditions from cancer to anxiety, from type 2 diabetes to heart disease.
Discussing the research, Dr Charlotte Gupta said there was awareness these foods weren’t healthy, but to what extent was not known. She said: “We know these foods aren’t considered ‘healthy’, but this sheds new light on how damaging they can be.”
Speaking in greater detail to The Sun about the research, lead author Dr Melissa Lane urged action to be taken on the prevalence of UPFs in order to improve the health of the wider population.
She said: “These findings support urgent mechanistic research and public health actions that seek to target and minimise ultra-processed food consumption for improved population health.”