Eating for HoFH
Go back to Eating for HoFH if you're taking lomitapide.
How can I eat less fat?
See how much fat you're eating, find out how much fat is in different foods, and how you can begin to eat a low fat diet.
Keep a diet diary
- Before you start your new way of eating, it’s a great idea to keep a food diary. You could use a notebook or your phone for this. Just record everything you eat and drink for a few days, how much you had and when you ate it.
- You can review your diary with the dietitian.
- Once you have agreed your maximum daily fat allowance, include more detail in your diary to help track your fat intake. Write down all food and drink you eat and how much fat (in grams) is in them. Then take away the amount of in each item from your daily fat allowance as you go. At the end of the day you should have ‘0’ or more grams of fat left. You shouldn't go into minus numbers. This way you can be sure you don’t go over your maximum daily fat allowance. You can also keep an eye on how your fat is spread throughout the day.
- You can use this printable food diary which is also available from the manufacturers of lomitapide. Download the Fat Tracker.
- You can also record how you are feeling.
- Keep your diary going every day to start with. This helps you to spot any problems, especially if you experience symptoms. For example, was the fat not well spread out throughout the day? You can then come up with ways to improve this.
- Once you are confident in your new way of eating you don’t need to keep a diary every day, although it can be useful. You could write one from time to time to help you stay on track.
Check the label
You can see how much fat is in a food product by checking the label.
- Look for the total fat content. You’ll find the labels on the front or back of the packet. They will show the amount of total fat and saturated fats in the product. It’s the total fat that’s most important.
- Work out how much fat is in a portion. The fat will be written in grams per 100g, and sometimes per portion as well. The main thing to know is the amount of fat in what you're actually eating - that means the amount per portion. So, if they only give the total fat per 100g, and you eat 50g, you need to halve the amount stated.
- Look for traffic lights. Sometimes labels are colour-coded with red, amber and green. Go for green for fat, but still add up the total grams throughout the day.
- Keep checking the labels. Product recipes change from time to time so keep an eye on them.
- Not all labels state the fat content. If that’s the case, or there’s no label at all, it’s best to avoid. Some foods are surprisingly high in fat so it’s not worth the risk.
What do high, medium and low fat mean?
High fat
Avoid these foods.
- Any drink with more than 8.75g fat per 100ml.
- Any food with more than 17.5g fat per 100g.
High fat foods include oil, butter, ghee, lard, suet, goose fat, coconut oil and hard margarine. All spreads and cooking fats are high in fat so you will need to avoid these.
Medium fat
Avoid these or eat them in small amounts.
- Any food with more than 3g and less than 17.5g fat per 100g.
- Any drink with more than 1.5g and less than 8.75g fat per 100ml.
Low fat
Eat these alongside fat-free foods, within your daily fat allowance.
- Any food with less than 3g fat per 100g.
- Any drink with less than 1.5g fat per 100ml.
Fat Free
These are generally safe to eat.
- Any food with less than 0.5g per 100g.
- Any drink with less than 0.5g per 100ml.
Do add up the fat content of all foods in your fat tracker, even if the label says they're low fat or fat-free.
Tips for cooking without fats and oils
- Spreads labelled “light”, “lite” or “low fat” have the lowest fat content but they are still high in fat, so do check the label.
- Invest in some cooking equipment. A good non-stick frying pan for fat-free stir fries and a steamer will be very useful.
- Use a cooking method that doesn’t need fat such as poaching, steaming, microwaving, grilling, boiling or casseroling.
- If you want to ‘fry’ something, try ‘dry frying’ using a fat emulsion cooking spray in your non-stick frying pan
How can I make my food taste good?
Fats add flavour to food, but you can add flavour in other ways. Use lots of herbs and spices, and flavourings like soy sauce and lemon juice. Check out our low fat recipes for some inspiration.
Focus on what you can eat, not what you can’t.
What else do I need to know?
Make sure you get enough protein
Try to have protein-rich foods at each meal. Go for fat-free or low-fat options.
Choose foods full of nutrients
Choose nutrient-rich foods to make sure you get the nutrients your body needs. This includes vegetables, wholegrains, beans and pulses, fat-free and virtually fat-free dairy foods, and lean protein foods such as chicken without the skin, non-oily fish and shellfish.
Drink enough water
Our bodies are 70% water, and we need to keep on taking on fluids just to function. It’s also important for digestion.
Stick with it
It takes a few weeks for new habits to form. Try to stick with new changes for a few weeks, even if they’re challenging at first, and see how your body feels once it’s had a chance to adapt.