Saturated fats

There are different types of fat in the food we eat, and saturated fats are the type that raise blood cholesterol.

Many foods contain saturated fat, especially animal foods such as meat, butter and dairy products, and foods that are made with them, such as cakes and biscuits. They're also found in tropical fats and oils - coconut and palm oil.

Cutting down on foods high in saturated fat and replacing them with foods higher in unsaturated fat can help improve cholesterol levels. For example, plant-based fat spreads and oils, oily fish, nuts and seeds.

How does saturated fat raise your cholesterol?

Cholesterol is made and broken down in the liver. Eating foods that have too much saturated fat, and too little unsaturated fat, changes the way the liver handles cholesterol.

The liver helps remove excess cholesterol from the blood, but too much saturated fat can make this process less effective, leading to a build-up of cholesterol in the blood.

Foods high in saturated fats

red and fatty meat, such as beef and lamb
processed meat, such as sausages, burgers, bacon and tinned meat
full fat milk, most cheeses and creams, butter, yogurt, crème fraiche
pastries and pies
butter, lard, ghee, dripping, margarine, goose fat and suet
coconut and palm oils and coconut cream
coconut plant-based alternatives to milk and yogurt
plant-based or vegan hard-type cheese alternatives
white chocolate, toffee, cakes, puddings and biscuits

Saturated fats are usually hard at room temperature, such as butter, the fat in meat, and coconut oil. Unsaturated fats are liquid, such as olive oil.

Many foods contain a mixture of both saturated and unsaturated fats. Try to choose foods with more unsaturated fat.

Coconut and saturated fat

Coconut oils have an image of being a healthy option. But coconut oil is made up almost entirely of saturated fat. It contains even more saturated fat than butter, so is likely to cause the same health problems.

Coconut oil does have a lovely flavour and is excellent in Thai style curries but it is best to use it sparingly.

Coconut milk and yogurt alternatives are also high in saturated fat, sometimes even higher than their dairy counterparts. Better choices include plant-based alternatives made from soya, almonds, cashews, oats, or hemp.

How much saturated fat should you eat?

About a third of our energy should come from fat. This is around 70g for women and 90g for men each day, with most of it coming from unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats should make up no more than a third of the fat we eat. That means women should have no more than 20g, and men no more than 30g of saturated fat per day.

How to cut down on saturated fat

1. Check the labels

When you’re shopping, check the labels of products to see how much fat they contain and how much they will add to the daily maximum. Look at the total fat and the saturated fat. Saturated fat might be written as ‘sat fat’ or ‘saturates’.

Choose foods that have more unsaturated than saturated fats.
Go for foods that are labelled green or amber for saturated fat.
Some foods that are high in fat such as oily fish, nuts, oils and spreads may be red for saturated fat. This is OK because these foods contain a higher proportion of the healthy unsaturated fats.
Per 100g of food – low-fat is 3g or less and low saturated fat is 1.5g or less.
Per 100g of food – high fat is 17.5g or more and high saturated fat is 5g or more.

Many foods have labels on the front of pack, making it easy to check the amount and type of fat they contain. If not, it should be on the back. When labels are colour-coded with red, amber and green, go for green and amber as much as possible.

Use the table as a guide for choosing healthy foods.

traffic light labels

2. Compare products

Sometimes similar products contain very different amounts fat. Check a few options before you buy.

3. Bake, steam, grill or boil instead of frying

You can usually bake, steam, grill or boil foods instead of frying them. Use a small amount of healthy oil or fat spread made from vegetables or seeds. Avoid butter and other animal fats.

4. Make simple swaps

Have a look at the foods high in saturated fat and some healthier alternatives with these simple swaps.

5. Choose healthy snacks

Take a look at these ideas for healthy snacks, low in saturated fat.

6. Choose healthy options when eating out

If you eat out at restaurants or cafes regularly, you can check the nutrition information online or on the menus. Takeaways are often high in saturated fat so it's best to have these only occasionally, you can also ask what type of oil they use.

Learn about healthy options for fats and oils