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Good and Bad Fats
There are two main types of fat that we come across daily.
These are saturated fats ‘the bad fats’ and
unsaturated fats ‘the good fats’. Saturated
fats are the fats that clog up arteries and cause cardiovascular
diseases. Foods such as; biscuits, crisps, cakes, processed
meats and butter should be avoided and certainly diets should
not revolve around these foods. Consuming foods that have
unsaturated fats in them can actually help reduce cholesterol
in the blood stream and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Foods such as; oily fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines); seeds;
nuts and olive oil are good sources of unsaturated fats.
Salt
Salt is vital for the body, however, only 6grams per day
is needed for an adult and not the 10grams that is being
consumed on average in the UK. Too much salt can lead to
raised blood pressure. Therefore, lead to heart disease
and stroke. On your food labels salt is often listed as
sodium. You should multiply the amount of sodium by 2.5
to get the amount of salt in that product. So, if a packet
of crisps has 0.5g of sodium that’s 1.25g of salt
nearly a quarter of the recommendation.
Fruit and Veg
1 in 7 people in the UK actually hit the ‘5 a day’
recommended consumption of fruit and veg.
The reason why fruit and vegetables are so beneficial is
because of their array of compounds. As well as vitamins
and minerals, fruit and vegetables also contain many complex
plant components called phytochemicals. Some of the vitamins
and phytochemicals are also antioxidants, destroying free
radicals in the body. These free radicals are known to have
a role in causing cancer as well as other harmful effects.
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