Hi,

Fat is a really important part of the diet, as the body needs it for many processes and structures in the body. Making hormones, absorbing certain vitamins from food, keeping your skin healthy and keeping your brain in tip top condition are just a few examples!

However, when you are on a weight loss programme it is important to control the amount of fat you eat, as it is high in calories, but not to avoid fat completely.  Just to explain, the fat figure on the website is calculated based on the recommendation that no more than 33% of your total daily calories should come from fat. It's not a requirement that you must eat all the amount stated - think of it is a maximum limit. If you do find yourself eating less, that's absolutely fine but I tend to say try not to go below a half.

The secret is eating the healthy fats and not wasting your calories on unhealthy fats! This means avoiding saturated fats, found in 'solid' fats such as cheese and butter, as these are known to be bad for your heart and cardiovascular system. You should also avoid trans-fats, found in processed foods, as these are now being linked to many diseases.

In place of these, use unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats in your diet, such as drizzling olive oil on salads. Also make sure to include essential fats that your body cannot make, such as Omega 3 and 6. These are found in oily fish (like salmon, sardines and fresh tuna) and nuts and seeds. Walnuts and pumpkin seeds are particularly good sources of these essential fats and can be eaten in small amounts as snacks.

Fat, regardless of whether it is 'good' or 'bad', still contains the same number of calories per gram. And as fat is the most concentrated source of calories at 9 cals per gram - that's twice the number of calories in 1 gram of carbs and protein - it makes sense that reducing your total fat intake is a very effective way of lowering the number of calories in your diet.

I hope this has answered your question and put your mind at rest.