Fat? How much is too much?

Fat and sugar – an invisible problem

Children ‘might seem fine on the outside’ but eating too much saturated fat can lead to a harmful buildup of fat inside.

Your kids ‘might seem fine on the outside’ but too much sugar can also cause the harmful buildup of fat around internal organs. This can lead to serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers in the future.

Find out what’s in their food with Public Health England’s FREE Be Food Smart app.

Cutting down on fat

Cutting down on saturated fat can lower your blood cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart
disease. The average man should have no more than 30g of saturated fat a day. The average woman should have no more than 20g
of saturated fat a day. Children should have less saturated fat than adults, but remember that a
low-fat diet isn’t suitable for children under five.

One of the easiest ways to cut down on saturated fat is to compare the labels on similar
products and choose the one lower in saturated fat. Watch out for foods that are high in
saturated fat, including fatty cuts of meat, sausages, butter, cream, cheese, chocolate,
pastries, cakes and biscuits. You don’t need to stop eating these foods altogether, but eating
too much of these makes it easy to have more than the recommended maximum amount
of saturated fat.

To find out more on how to eat less saturated fat, see the NHS Live Well website.

You may also be interested in:

• The Food Standards Agency Eat Well Guide
• Change4Life
• Watch Out For The Hidden Sugar Nasties In Your Food!
• Ask your dental team a question

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