Oil and margarine

Summary (as seen on HEC.iTV):

How much added margarine or oil can we have daily?

About 1-2 tablespoons of oil/margarine a day is fine as long as you keepother 'hidden' fats to a minimum. This can be achieved by consuming lean meats, reduced fat dairy products and by keeping to a minimum fatty fast food (like pies) , snack foods (like potato crisps) and treats (like cakes and biscuits). If you are not trying to lose weight or if you are physically active you can have more than 2 tablespoons a day. If you are trying to lose weight there is no need to eliminate fat from your diet, about 1-2 tablespoons a day is fine. Some fat is needed in the diet to obtain the essential fatty acids needed for healthy skin and for other body functions and dietary fat also improves the absorption of vitamins/ antioxidants from food.Rather than having the recommended amount with bread, reserve your couple of tablespoons of oil for your meals to improve the palatability of vegetables, fish and legumes. Use a variety of margarines and oils, especially ones high in monounsaturated fat, omega 3 fats and antioxidants - such as canola, peanut and extra virgin olive oils. However, it is preferable to consume fat from ‘natural (unrefined) ’ sources, such as nuts, seeds/grains (in bread, tahini), soy/tofu, avocado, extra virgin /cold pressed oils or fatty fish because you will also get some nutrients and beneficial phytochemicals along with the fat.

Please note: 1 tablespoon of oil or margarine is about 20g.

See also the HEC healthy eating pyramid.

Total Fat Intake (includes oil/margarine you add to food plus fat already added to food by the food industry 'hidden fat')

Healthy Ranges

Maximum Desirable Daily Total Fat Intake

Last Updated: July, 2002.