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All fat is not bad and all oils are not made equal – if you’re confused by which to use in the kitchen, follow our handy guide Chances are you grew up thinking of fat as a diet no-go. Low-fat eating is nothing new and as far back as the 60s doctors advised those at high risk of coronary heart disease to trim it from their diets. By the 80s and 90s, this thinking went mainstream with a wave of low-fat food products – many loaded with high levels of sugar to make them appetising – hitting supermarket shelves and creating an ingrained mindset that less fat equals healthy. Research into the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which is heavy in vegetables, fruit and olive oil, challenges the preconception that fat is the enemy and it’s choosing the right type of oil to cook and dress ingredients which makes a huge difference to our health. Jason advocates a low-HI (human intervention) diet and uses extra-
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virgin olive oil in many of his Super fast Food cookbook recipes. It’s choosing the right type of unsaturated fat that matters and a small amount is essential to our diet as it helps us to absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Unsaturated fats lower the levels of cholesterol in our blood and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and the polyphenols in virgin olive oil can help to protect against some oxidative damage. Many healthy oils can be consumed neat and some swear by a spoonful a day to keep the doctor away, but most of us prefer to use them in cooking or add them to a juice or blend. Always look for a pure, highquality product and remember a little goes a long way – the RDA is 30g for men and 20g for women – so use them sparingly.
