Fat- The good, bad and

ugly
Ms Teo Kiok Seng,
Nutritionist

Fats are essential....

Every cell of our body is made of fats.
It is a rich source of energy. Acts as
reserve during starvation.
It provides satiety.
Helps to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
It keeps us warm.
It gives flavour and texture to food.
We need essential fatty acids from food as
our body cannot make them.

Fats can harm also

When fat is taken in excess, it results in

Obesity
Which in turn
raises the risk of developing many
diseases
Makes a person lethargic
Cause breathlessness & difficulty in
movement
Stresses the joints and cause
problem

What is cholesterol? Some

facts.

Cholesterol is a waxy fat-like material found in all

parts of our body.
Our liver produce 85% of the cholesterol in our
body.
We get the rest (15%) from food.
Only animal foods contain cholesterol

Cholesterol Magic Potion

Cholesterol is essential

I may be fat,
but
I am essential

To form & maintain cell membranes

- helps cells to resist changes in temperature
- protects nerve fibers
To form sex hormones and bile to digest fat
To get converted into vitamin D in the skin under
sunlight.

How does fat affects our

cholesterol
level?
Choosing the right types of fat can help
us have healthy level of cholesterol
HOW?

Monounsaturated fat tends to keep our

good cholesterol (HDL) high.

Polyunsaturated fat tends to lower both

good and bad cholesterol (HDL & LDL).

Thats why we need to watch

what we eat?

High cholesterol & high saturated fats in diet

can increase our blood cholesterol
Excess cholesterol gets deposited in the blood
vessels forming plaques.
Plaques can narrow or block blood vessels
leading to
Heart attack
Stroke

Plaque blocking the artery

Cholesterol
The
Poison

Haemorrhage in
artery due to plaque

How do plaques form?

Cholesterol
circulates in blood

Gradually gets
deposited on the
walls of arteries

More & more

accumulates
narrowing arteries

How do Singaporeans fare?

Singaporeans have high rate of heart disease

comparable to those from the western
countries.
Many Singaporeans have high fat intake.
Chinese men and Malay women are more likely
to have high fat intake.
Malays consume more saturated fats
Chinese have a higher fat intake from food
eaten outside
Indians have a higher fat intake from home
cooked food

Other factors that make my

cholesterol level go up?
High cholesterol & high saturated fat
diet
Heredity
Age & Gender
Smoking
High blood pressure
Overweight or obesity
Excessive alcohol intake
Stress

How high is HIGH?.

Total cholesterol levels of more than 5.0
mmol/L or 200 mg/dl is considered as
high.
There is also the good cholesterol (HDL)
and the bad cholesterol (LDL).

What is cholesterol and triglyceride ?

HDLCholesterol

The Good

Triglyceride

The Bad

LDLCholesterol

The Ugly

What is desirable cholesterol and

triglyceride
level
?
Total Cholesterol <200mg/dl or <5.2mmol/l
Triglyceride <150mg/dl or <1.7mmol/l
Ratio of chol/HDL <4.5
LDL (bad chol)

<130mg/dl or <3.4 mmol/l

HDL (good chol)

>40mg/dl or >1.0 mmol/l

Good Cholesterol
Bad Cholesterol

Bad cholesterol (LDL)

deposits cholesterol on
the walls of your arteries
and increases your
chances of getting heart
disease.

Good cholesterol (HDL)

takes the bad cholesterol
out of your blood and
prevents plaque from
building up in your
arteries.

So, how to increase

my good cholesterol (HDL)
and decrease
my bad cholesterol (LDL) ?

Recommendation for
cholesterol intake
Limit cholesterol intake to less than
300mg per day for healthy adults.

Diet and lifestyle habits to lower

cholesterol level
Cut down on cholesterol rich foods like fatty meat,
organ meats, eggs etc. Seafood (except squid
/sotong /cuttlefish) can be taken in moderation.
Include monounsaturated fat like olive and canola
oil to keep your good cholesterol (HDL) high.
Avoid saturated fat like ghee, butter, lard which
tends to increase your bad cholesterol (LDL).

COUNT YOUR
CHOLESTEROL
LOW
< 100mg cholesterol

MEDIUM
100-199mg
cholesterol

HIGH
200mg & >
cholesterol

Egg white

Low cholesterol eggs

Whole egg/egg yolk

Full cream milk

Tongue(all kinds),
heart(all kinds)

Brains(all kinds)

Natural yoghurt

Pig
stomach/intestine

Kidney(all kinds)

Low fat cottage

cheese

Lobster

Liver(all kinds)

All fresh
fish/clams/mussels/
crab

Prawns/shrimps

Cuttle fish, fish roe,

Lean beef, lean

chicken, lean lamb

Abalone, sardines in
oil

Sotong

If you ever wonder

Cholesterol-Free
Not necessarily fat free. Plant food do
not have cholesterol but may be high in
saturated fat.

Vegetable-blended oils
Usually contain higher amounts of
saturated fat as it comprises mainly
palm oil.

Saturated fat- Increase our

cholesterol level
Mainly from animal sources.
Butter, lard, ghee and dairy products
Plant sources: coconut milk, palm oil,
vegetable shortening and hydrogenated oil

Trans-fat, how bad is it?

Hydrogenation produces trans-fat to provide longer
shelf-life in baked products.
Partially hydrogenated oils are used in processed
foods, like cakes, cookies, pastries and other baked
goods.
Trans fats lower level of good cholesterol and
increase level of bad cholesterol.
Trans fat also makes the arteries more rigid; causes
major clogging of arteries.
It may even increase the risk of getting type 2
diabetes.

Deep frying

Polyunsaturated &
monounsaturate oil go
through changes under
high temperature when
deep-frying and
carcinogenic substances
are formed.
Saturated oil like palm
oil (blended vegetable
oil) is more suitable for
deep frying.

Butter and margarine

controversy

On hydrogenation, liquid plant oil is

converted into margarine.
Trans-fatty acids are formed during
this process.
Hard margarine has a high amount of
trans-fat.
Soft margarine (poly or
monounsaturated) is still preferable
for heart health.
Some may choose butter because it
has no trans-fatty acid.

Myths
Margarine has fewer calories than
butter
False. Both contain the same calories
weight for weight.
Eggs are bad for me, so I should
avoid them totally
Not necessary. You can have 1-2 eggs
per week. Only egg yolk has cholesterol,
not egg whites.

Polyunsaturated fat- lowers our

cholesterol level

They are mostly from plants

Examples of this are corn, soy, sunflower,
cottonseed & polyunsaturated soft
margarine.
Some fish are high in omega-3 fatty acid,
which is good for the heart. Examples of
this are oily fish like salmon, tuna,
mackerel.

Monounsaturated fat- Keeps our

good cholesterol high
Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil are
common types used for home cooking.
Other sources are monounsaturated soft
margarine, peanut butter, sesame oil,
avocado, certain nuts and seeds etc.

Cut it out: Tips to cut down fats

Save French fries and other fried foods and high-fat
desserts for special occasions; have a small serving;
share with a friend.
Use nonfat or lower fat spreads or salad dressing.
Choose low-fat or non-fat dairy products like milk,
cheese, yoghurt.
Replace coconut milk with low-fat milk or
evaporated milk.

Tips to cut down fats

Choose small portions of lean
meat, fish, and poultry
Use low-fat cooking methods
(baking, poaching, broiling);
trim off all fat from meat and
remove skin from poultry
Choose turkey or chicken
breast, lean ham, lean sliced
beef.

Tantalizing recipes
Chicken curry cooked with lowfat milk or yoghurt

Die die must try

Steamed fish with light soy

sauce

Salad with low fat dressing

Fruits dipped in low fat

chocolate/chocolate sauce

Die die must try

Excellent

Excellent

Diet and lifestyle habits to lower

cholesterol level (contd)
Increase the intake of fruit and vegetables for
water-soluble fibre, as it helps to lower
cholesterol level.
Sources of water-soluble fibre are beans,
oats, papaya, apples etc.
Try vegetarian diet for drastic reduction in
cholesterol level.
Achieve healthy weight.
Exercise regularly to increase HDL levels.

Foods that lowers cholesterol level

Oat
Beans
Garlic
Fish high in omega-3 fatty acid
Onion
Olive oil
Apples & carrots
Grapefruits
Almonds
shellfish

Lose weight if you are

overweight
Consume few hundred
kcal less from usual diet
Recommended weight
loss is 0.5 to 1 kg per
week

Learning about healthy eating

It takes time to adjust to healthy
eating.
Find a good balance between healthy
eating and regular exercise.
Start to enjoy a new way of eating and
exercising. You can reap a life time of
benefit.